Chapter 2 - THE MESSAGE THAT EXPOSED THE TRUTH|
For several seconds, nobody in the Moretti dining room moved.
Vanessa's phone continued vibrating against the marble table.
I could still see the message glowing on the screen.
The final dose is ready.
Make sure Luca drinks it tonight.
My heart hammered so violently that I could barely breathe.
Luca slowly released his wife's wrist.
"Claire, read that message aloud."
Vanessa immediately snatched her phone.
"Don't you dare touch my private conversations!"
But Luca wasn't looking at her anymore.
His eyes were fixed on the half-empty wineglass beside his dinner plate.
"Matteo."
One of his bodyguards stepped forward.
"Yes, boss?"
"Nobody touches that glass."
Vanessa let out a nervous laugh.
"Luca, you're making a ridiculous scene over a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"My eighty-two-year-old mother has been starving in my own house."
Rosa began crying again.
"And now a doctor is reminding you to poison me?"
"That's not what it says!"
Vanessa's face flushed.
"It's a medical treatment!"
"Then you won't mind explaining it to the police."
The room fell completely silent.
I had worked for Luca Moretti for five years.
I'd seen him furious.
I'd seen him threaten men twice his size.
But I'd never seen him look at someone with such terrible disappointment.
Vanessa stepped toward him.
"Darling, please."
He moved away.
"Don't call me that."
Suddenly, Rosa made a small choking sound.
Her fingers tightened around her handbag.
"Claire, sweetheart."
I rushed to her side.
"Mrs. Moretti?"
"The room is spinning."
Her head fell against the wheelchair.
"Mrs. Moretti!"
I caught her before she slipped sideways.
Luca was beside us instantly.
"Ma?"
She didn't answer.
"MA!"
His shout echoed beneath the chandeliers.
Matteo grabbed his phone and called 911.
I checked Rosa's breathing while Luca held her trembling hand.
She was still breathing, but she barely responded when I spoke.
"Please stay with us."
I brushed the silver hair from her forehead.
"You're going to be okay."
Vanessa stood near the doorway.
For the first time, she looked genuinely uncertain.
Then she quietly began walking toward the hallway.
"Stop."
Luca hadn't even turned around.
"I need some air."
"You need to stay where the police can find you."
Vanessa's expression hardened.
"You cannot seriously believe a maid over your own wife."
Luca looked up.
"That maid knew my mother was hungry."
His voice cracked.
"You lived under the same roof and made certain she stayed that way."
The first ambulance arrived twelve minutes later.
Two paramedics hurried inside carrying medical equipment.
I explained Rosa's weakness, confusion, lack of food, and the suspicious liquid she had saved.
One paramedic examined her while the other questioned Luca.
"Has your mother been taking prescription medication?"
"According to my wife, yes."
"Do you know what medication?"
Luca shook his head.
"That's what we're trying to find out."
The paramedic glanced at the cloudy liquid inside Rosa's bottle.
"Don't throw that away."
"I won't."
A second paramedic examined Luca after hearing about the evening drinks.
"Sir, have you experienced dizziness, unusual fatigue, or memory problems lately?"
Luca frowned.
"I've been exhausted."
"Anything else?"
He hesitated.
"Sometimes I wake up with headaches."
I suddenly remembered something.
For nearly three weeks, Luca had been coming downstairs later than usual.
He had missed two business meetings.
Once, I'd found him staring at a document he couldn't remember signing.
Vanessa had laughed and blamed his demanding schedule.
Now those memories felt terrifying.
The paramedic looked directly at him.
"You're coming to the hospital, too."
Luca immediately refused.
"My mother needs me."
"And you may need treatment yourself."
Rosa was placed on a stretcher.
As they rolled her toward the ambulance, her eyes opened briefly.
"Luca?"
He leaned down.
"I'm here, Ma."
She gripped his sleeve.
"Don't drink anything she gives you."
Tears filled his eyes.
"I won't."
Vanessa followed us into the entrance hall.
"Luca, this is my home, too."
He turned toward Matteo.
"Keep the staff safe, and cooperate with the officers when they arrive."
Then he looked at Vanessa.
"Don't make another decision about my mother's care."
Her expression changed.
The frightened woman disappeared.
In her place stood someone cold and calculating.
"You have no idea what you're doing."
Luca said nothing.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
"There are things happening in this family that you don't understand."
"Then explain them."
She smiled without warmth.
"Ask Dominic."
Luca froze.
Dominic Rinaldi was his most trusted business adviser.
He had managed the Moretti family finances for fourteen years.
I had never heard Vanessa mention him with anything except contempt.
"Why would Dominic know anything about my mother's medication?"
Vanessa didn't answer.
Instead, she looked directly at me.
And whispered something I would never forget.
"You should have taken the plate away, Claire."
Then the police arrived.
I climbed into the ambulance beside Rosa.
Through the rear window, I watched Luca speaking urgently to an officer.
His mother's small black handbag rested in my lap.
I was about to close it when I noticed an envelope hidden inside the lining.
Across the front, in Rosa's shaky handwriting, were five words.
May you like
IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME.
And underneath them was my name.
