Chapter 2 - THE QUESTION THAT ENDED THE ENGAGEMENT DINNER|
Vanessa Bellini stared at Luca Moretti as though she couldn't believe he'd questioned her in front of thirty dinner guests.
The diamond on her left hand glittered beneath the chandeliers.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then she gave a small, nervous laugh.
"Luca, darling, you're making this sound much worse than it actually is."
Luca didn't smile.
"I'm waiting for an explanation."
"There's nothing to explain."
"You told my godson that I didn't want him in my life anymore."
"I was protecting our future."
"From a thirteen-year-old boy?"
Vanessa's face tightened.
"From people who don't understand boundaries."
I stood behind Ethan's chair, clutching my silver serving tray so tightly that my fingers hurt.
Ethan was staring at the watch on his wrist.
His father's watch.
The one he'd nearly surrendered because he'd believed he no longer belonged to the Moretti family.
Luca looked at the boy.
"Ethan, did Vanessa tell you I asked her to keep your mother away?"
Ethan nodded.
"She said you didn't want to hurt our feelings yourself."
Luca closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them, something in his expression had changed.
He wasn't simply angry anymore.
He looked devastated.
"Buddy, I never said that."
Ethan swallowed.
"Then why didn't you call us?"
The question seemed to strike Luca harder than anything Vanessa had said.
I watched him look down at his godson's small, trembling hands.
"You're right to ask me that."
His voice was quieter now.
"I should have called."
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
"Exactly, Luca, because you've been incredibly busy preparing for our wedding."
Luca turned toward her.
"Don't use our wedding to excuse what you did."
At the far end of the table, an elderly woman slowly stood.
Teresa Moretti, Luca's mother, had spent most of the evening watching silently.
Now her expression was filled with disappointment.
"Vanessa, that boy has eaten Sunday dinner with this family since he was little."
Vanessa forced a smile.
"Teresa, with all due respect, families change."
Teresa shook her head.
"Families grow."
She looked at Ethan.
"They don't throw children away."
A murmur passed through the guests.
Vanessa's cheeks flushed.
"You're all treating me like some terrible person because I tried to establish a little privacy."
Luca glanced at the watch.
"You took something his dead father gave him."
"I was going to return it."
"After making him beg for it?"
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Then Luca did something none of us expected.
He reached into his jacket and removed his phone.
"What's your mother's number, Ethan?"
Ethan looked frightened.
"Please don't be mad at her."
Luca immediately knelt again.
"I could never be mad at her for this."
The boy hesitated.
"She works until ten tonight."
"At the hospital?"
"She cleans offices there after her morning shift at the care center."
Luca froze.
I saw genuine confusion cross his face.
"She's working two jobs?"
Ethan nodded.
"Sometimes three when they need somebody to cover weekends."
Vanessa suddenly reached for Luca's arm.
"That isn't something we should discuss in front of everyone."
Luca slowly pulled away.
"Then we should never have humiliated him in front of everyone."
He turned toward the guests.
"I'm sorry this evening has become uncomfortable."
His eyes moved toward Ethan.
"But my godson's dignity matters more than any celebration."
Then he looked at Vanessa.
"The engagement party is over."
Her expression collapsed.
"Luca, you can't be serious."
"I am."
"Over one misunderstanding?"
"Three months of deliberate lies aren't a misunderstanding."
She lowered her voice.
"Think carefully before you embarrass me like this."
Luca stared at her.
"That's an interesting thing to say after what you did to Ethan."
Guests began quietly collecting their coats.
Some avoided Vanessa's eyes.
Others stopped to reassure Ethan that he hadn't ruined anything.
But he looked miserable.
He wasn't smiling because Luca had defended him.
He looked like a child who believed he'd somehow caused a terrible argument.
When the dining room finally emptied, Luca asked me to bring Ethan something warm to eat.
I returned with chicken soup and fresh bread.
The boy whispered, "Thank you, Natalie."
I smiled.
"Your dad used to order this whenever he came here, didn't he?"
Ethan nodded.
"He said it tasted like his mother's cooking."
Luca sat beside him.
"Your dad said a lot of things about this place."
Ethan glanced up.
"Good things?"
Luca's eyes softened.
"Mostly complaints about my cooking."
For the first time that night, Ethan almost smiled.
Then Luca's phone rang.
The screen displayed a name I recognized from the family photographs.
Grace Hayes.
Ethan's mother.
Luca answered immediately.
"Grace?"
A woman's exhausted voice came through the speaker.
"Mr. Moretti, I'm sorry to bother you."
Luca's expression tightened.
"Please don't call me that."
There was a pause.
"Ethan just texted me."
"He's safe, Grace."
"I know, but I wanted to apologize for him coming tonight."
Luca pressed a hand against his forehead.
"You have nothing to apologize for."
Grace hesitated.
"I didn't know Vanessa had invited him."
"She didn't."
Silence.
Then Grace whispered, "I don't understand."
"I invited him myself."
Another long pause followed.
Finally, she said something that made my stomach drop.
"Then why did you send me that letter?"
Luca straightened.
"What letter?"
"The one telling us to stop contacting you."
His face went pale.
"Grace, I never sent you a letter."
Her breathing changed.
"But it has your signature."
Luca stood slowly.
"Do you still have it?"
"Yes."
"Don't throw it away."
Grace's voice trembled.
"There's something else you should know."
Luca gripped the phone.
"What is it?"
"Three months ago, someone also stopped the money you arranged for Ethan's education."
Luca didn't speak.
Grace continued.
"And the letter said that if I questioned the decision, your lawyers would contact me."
Luca looked toward the empty chair where Vanessa had been sitting.
Then he said five words I would never forget.
"Grace, I'm coming to you."
And that was when I understood something terrifying.
May you like
Vanessa hadn't simply tried to keep a grieving boy away from Sunday dinner.
She had been using Luca's name to frighten his mother, too.
