Chapter 5 - THE LETTER FROM ISABELLA
The next clue came from a letter hidden inside the blue notebook.
It was addressed to Dante.
His mother's handwriting filled the page.
She had written it six months before her death.
My son,
If you are reading this, it means I failed to tell you something while I still had the chance.
I have spent years trying to understand what happened to Marco.
I no longer believe the story we were given.
Someone inside our family benefited from his disappearance.
And I fear that person has been standing beside you all this time.
Dante stopped reading.
His throat tightened.
He remembered his mother sitting beside the fireplace, asking him to visit more often.
He remembered dismissing her concerns.
He remembered telling her that Marco was gone and reopening the investigation would only cause more pain.
Now he wished he had listened.
The letter continued.
I found irregular transfers connected to Rafael's private accounts. I also discovered that a storage property in Connecticut was purchased using Marco's identity after his disappearance.
I do not know whether your brother is alive.
But I know someone has lied.
Dante folded the letter.
His hands shook.
Elena sat opposite him.
"I'm sorry."
He looked up.
"For what?"
"For not telling you sooner."
Dante shook his head.
"My mother trusted you."
Elena's eyes filled.
"She was kind to me."
He studied her.
"Why did you keep the notebook hidden after she died?"
Elena hesitated.
"Because someone threatened Sophie."
Dante went still.
"Who?"
"I never saw his face."
"What happened?"
Elena looked down.
"A man came to the servants' entrance. He said if I gave the book to anyone, my daughter would disappear."
Dante felt anger rise.
Not the familiar anger he used in business.
Something sharper.
Personal.
"Why didn't you come to me?"
Elena's voice broke.
"Because I didn't know whether you were part of it."
The words struck him harder than any accusation.
He looked away.
For years, people had feared him.
He had mistaken that fear for respect.
Now a mother had been too frightened to ask him to protect her child.
Dante stood.
"Elena."
She looked up.
"I can't change what you believed about me."
He paused.
"But I can change what I do next."
He promised that Sophie would be protected through lawful security measures and that the evidence would be handled by independent investigators.
May you like
Elena nodded.
For the first time, she looked as though she might believe him.
