Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO REFUSED TO LET NICO DISAPPEAR|
The rehabilitation clinic smelled of fresh coffee, disinfectant, and something I hadn't felt in the Moretti mansion for months.
Hope.
Nico sat beside me in the waiting room, gripping the handles of his wheelchair.
His first appointment after the canceled sessions was scheduled for ten o'clock.
He had barely slept the night before.
"What if I've lost too much progress?" he whispered.
I leaned closer.
"Then we start from wherever you are today."
"What if I can't do the things I used to do?"
"Then your therapists will help you work toward the things that matter most to you now."
He stared at the floor.
"I don't want Luca spending another fortune just so I can disappoint him."
My heart twisted.
"Nico, your recovery is not a test you have to pass to deserve your brother's love."
Before he could respond, a woman approached us.
She was in her early forties, with dark hair tied behind her head and an employee identification badge clipped to her jacket.
"Mr. Moretti?"
Nico looked up.
"I'm Miriam Sloane, the clinic administrator."
"I wanted to speak to you personally."
Her eyes filled with embarrassment.
"I'm deeply sorry about how your appointments were handled."
Nico remained silent.
Miriam pulled a chair beside him.
"We received written instructions claiming your brother had authorized the cancellations."
"We should have verified the request with you directly."
"We didn't, and that was wrong."
Nico's hands tightened.
"Did you think I didn't want to come anymore?"
Miriam hesitated.
"Mrs. Moretti's representatives told us you weren't able to make decisions about your treatment."
A painful silence followed.
Nico looked toward me.
"She really told everyone that?"
I squeezed his shoulder.
Miriam continued.
"Your doctor disagreed with that assessment, and we should never have treated an unverified claim as a reason to exclude you."
She handed Nico a folder containing his appointment schedule and the clinic's corrective plan.
"Your medical decisions belong to you unless a lawful process establishes otherwise."
Nico accepted the folder with shaking hands.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Dr. Elena Park soon appeared and welcomed him into a therapy room.
She began with a careful assessment rather than asking him to repeat his most difficult exercises.
His right hand tired quickly.
His legs were weaker than they had been two months earlier.
But he remained determined.
During an occupational therapy session, he practiced using an adapted fork.
After several attempts, he successfully lifted a small piece of food from a plate.
He looked at me with a shy smile.
"Did you see that?"
I laughed through my tears.
"I saw everything."
At that moment, a sharp voice came from the doorway.
"Well, isn't this touching?"
Vanessa Moretti stood in the corridor wearing an expensive cream-colored coat and dark sunglasses.
Two clinic employees hurried after her.
"Mrs. Moretti, you can't enter a treatment room without permission," one said.
Vanessa ignored her.
She looked directly at Nico.
"You really think doing little exercises is going to change what you are?"
Nico's smile disappeared.
I stepped between them.
"Mrs. Moretti, you need to leave."
She laughed.
"Claire, do you ever get tired of pretending you're part of this family?"
Dr. Park approached calmly.
"Mrs. Moretti, this is my patient's appointment."
"He has not invited you to participate."
Vanessa folded her arms.
"He's my husband's brother."
"That does not give you authority to interrupt his care."
I could tell Vanessa wasn't accustomed to being contradicted.
Her face reddened.
"The court will have something to say about my authority soon enough."
Nico flinched.
Vanessa smiled when she noticed.
"Did Luca tell you about the guardianship hearing?"
"Because when that judge hears how helpless you've become, things are going to change."
I felt Nico's hand searching for mine.
Before I could speak, Dr. Park turned toward him.
"Nico, would you like Mrs. Moretti to leave?"
He looked terrified.
Vanessa waited with a confident smile.
For months, he had answered her cruelty with silence.
This time, however, he slowly lifted his head.
"Yes."
Vanessa's smile vanished.
"What?"
"I want you to leave."
His voice trembled, but he didn't look away.
"This is my appointment."
Dr. Park nodded toward the employees.
"Please escort Mrs. Moretti out."
Vanessa took one furious step forward.
"You ungrateful little—"
"Enough."
Luca's voice echoed from the hallway.
He had arrived to collect Nico after the appointment.
His eyes moved from Vanessa's furious expression to his brother's trembling hands.
"Did you hear what Nico said?"
Vanessa swallowed.
"Darling, I was only concerned—"
"He asked you to leave."
Luca stepped aside, leaving the doorway open.
"Respect his decision."
For several seconds, Vanessa looked as though she wanted to scream.
Then she turned and marched away.
Nico watched her disappear.
His breathing was unsteady, but there was something different in his eyes.
He had defended himself.
And everyone had listened.
Later that afternoon, Miriam requested a private conversation with Detective Brooks.
She had discovered an overlooked entry in the clinic's communication records.
On the day the first cancellation was submitted, Marcus Bell had called the clinic's administrative office.
He had asked whether the clinic could prepare a statement declaring Nico incapable of making independent decisions.
When the receptionist refused, he demanded to speak to management.
Miriam had preserved the call notes.
But there was another detail she hadn't understood until the police contacted her.
Marcus had mentioned a confidential financial arrangement.
He said the Moretti family needed Nico's medical paperwork completed before a major property transaction.
That evening, Detective Brooks shared the information with Luca and Simon.
Luca listened without speaking.
Then he asked Simon to examine every document related to Harbor Point.
Several minutes later, Simon called from his office.
"I found something."
"What is it?"
"A transfer agreement prepared before the accident."
Luca went still.
"Before Nico's accident?"
"Yes."
"And the person who drafted it listed Vanessa as the future controlling manager of the acquiring company."
I looked toward Nico, who was sitting quietly beside the fireplace.
May you like
Vanessa hadn't simply taken advantage of his injuries.
She had been preparing to gain control of his assets before the motorcycle ever crashed.
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