Chapter 10 - THE WOMAN WHO CALLED HERSELF A WIFE|
I should have felt satisfaction when I heard Vanessa crying.
For nearly two weeks, she had treated the Moretti mansion like a kingdom she had conquered.
She had insulted employees.
Humiliated Rosa.
Threatened my livelihood.
And left bruises on both our wrists.
Now she sounded like a frightened woman hiding from someone more dangerous than herself.
But I didn't feel victorious.
I felt tired.
And I felt angry that she still believed I was someone she could use.
"Claire, please listen."
Her voice trembled through the phone.
I looked toward Detective Ruiz.
The detective signaled for me to remain calm.
"What do you want, Vanessa?"
"Victor lied to me."
"He promised I'd have financial security."
"He promised Luca would never know what happened."
I swallowed.
"You knew Luca was supposed to die."
Silence.
Then a whisper.
"I didn't think it would really happen."
I stared at the phone.
"Then why did you tell Rosa he'd be dead by morning?"
Vanessa began crying.
"Because Victor told me to keep her quiet."
"And you thought hurting her was the answer?"
"I was afraid."
I gripped the phone.
"So was Rosa."
"So was I."
"Did that matter to you?"
Vanessa said nothing.
I thought about her fingers tightening around my wrist.
The way she had looked directly into my eyes and told me nobody would ever believe a maid.
I wanted to demand an apology.
Instead, I asked the only question that mattered.
"Where are you?"
"I can't tell you."
"Then I can't help you."
"Claire, he'll kill me."
"Call the police."
"I can't trust them."
"You can tell Detective Ruiz what you know."
Vanessa's voice sharpened.
"No police."
I looked at Ruiz again.
She shook her head slightly.
Vanessa continued.
"There's a hotel near the river."
"Victor used to keep an office there."
"He has documents that could destroy Luca."
"What documents?"
"Records from the years after Antonio died."
"Records Luca doesn't even know exist."
I felt cold.
"Why are you telling me?"
"Because Victor thinks you are the reason everything fell apart."
I almost dropped the phone.
Vanessa began speaking quickly.
"He says Rosa would never have told Luca anything if you hadn't interfered."
"He thinks you're making Luca turn against everyone."
I looked at the detective.
Ruiz's expression became grave.
"Vanessa, listen carefully."
"You can speak with the detective."
"You can tell her where you are."
"And you can stop putting people in danger."
There was a long pause.
Then Vanessa laughed bitterly.
"You really think a girl who cleans bathrooms can tell me what to do?"
There she was.
The real Vanessa.
Even frightened, even desperate, she couldn't stop herself from looking down on me.
I took a slow breath.
"No."
"I'm telling you what I would do if I wanted to survive."
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone.
Ruiz immediately began arranging for investigators to preserve the call information and follow up on the hotel.
"She may be trying to lure you somewhere," she warned.
I nodded.
"I know."
"Would you be willing to give another statement about what she said?"
"Yes."
This time, I didn't hesitate.
Later, Rosa found me sitting in the library.
A small lamp illuminated the bookshelves.
Outside, the reporters were still gathering near the gate.
She carried two cups of tea.
"You look exhausted."
I accepted one.
"I think I am."
Rosa sat beside me.
"For years, I convinced myself that if I stayed quiet, nothing terrible would happen."
I looked at her.
"And now?"
"Now I think silence only gave Victor more time."
She stirred her tea.
"Claire, I want you to understand something."
"What?"
"You don't owe Vanessa forgiveness."
I looked down.
"I know."
"But I don't want to become like her."
Rosa smiled sadly.
"Then don't."
"Tell the truth."
"Let the law decide what happens to her."
"And keep your own heart."
Her words stayed with me.
That evening, Luca announced that he was stepping aside from direct control of several family companies while their finances were examined.
His attorney also began seeking emergency safeguards against unauthorized changes to the estate trust.
It wasn't a dramatic speech.
There were no cheering employees.
No applause.
Some of the men who had worked beside him for years refused to meet his eyes.
A few left the mansion without saying goodbye.
I watched Luca stand beside the fireplace as the last of them departed.
He looked lonely.
Not because he had lost their admiration.
Because he was discovering how much of it had been purchased by fear.
I approached him.
"Are you all right?"
He gave a tired smile.
"That's a complicated question."
I almost smiled back.
"Mrs. Moretti says complicated questions deserve honest answers."
"She would."
He looked toward the staircase.
"Claire, why did you stay here after Vanessa threatened you?"
I considered the question.
"At first, because I needed the job."
"And after that?"
"Because Rosa needed someone."
He nodded.
"I'm grateful."
"I didn't do it for gratitude."
"I know."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said something I would remember for years.
"My father taught me how to make people stay."
"I don't think he ever taught me how to make them feel safe enough to stay by choice."
I looked at him carefully.
"Then perhaps you're learning."
He lowered his eyes.
"I hope so."
Before I could answer, Detective Ruiz entered.
"We have a development."
Luca turned.
"What?"
"Vanessa contacted us through her attorney."
"She's willing to provide information about Victor."
"Under what conditions?"
"She wants protection."
Ruiz looked at me.
"And she's insisting on speaking to Claire."
Luca's expression hardened.
"Absolutely not."
I took a breath.
"Luca."
He looked at me.
"Let the detective explain what that would involve."
Ruiz nodded.
"We would control the circumstances."
"Claire would not be sent anywhere alone."
"And nobody is being asked to make a decision tonight."
I stared at the floor.
I didn't trust Vanessa.
I didn't believe her tears had suddenly transformed her into a good person.
But I also knew that Victor remained free.
And there were people whose lives had been damaged long before I was born.
People who had waited years for answers.
I looked up.
"If speaking with her could help prove what happened, I'll consider it."
Luca studied my face.
Then he nodded.
"I won't decide for you."
Ruiz's phone vibrated.
She read a message.
Her expression became serious.
"Vanessa has proposed a location."
"Where?" Luca asked.
"The old Stanton Hotel near the South Branch of the Chicago River."
Rosa, who had entered behind us, stopped moving.
Her face went white.
Luca turned toward her.
"Mama?"
She gripped the doorframe.
"That hotel."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Your father went there the afternoon before he died."
Luca frowned.
"Why?"
Rosa looked toward Antonio's photograph.
"Because Victor promised him he could settle everything without the police."
May you like
She began shaking.
"And Antonio believed him."
