Chapter 10 - THE WOMAN WHO REFUSED TO RUN
Elena was offered relocation.
A secure apartment.
A new address.
Temporary protection.
She accepted the safety arrangements.
But she refused to disappear from the investigation.
Detective Shaw met her in a conference room.
“Elena, you understand the risks?”
Elena nodded.
“Yes.”
“You can still cooperate without making public statements.”
“I know.”
Shaw studied her.
“Then why do you want to speak?”
Elena looked down.
“Because my husband died four years ago.”
Her voice trembled.
“And everyone told me to accept it.”
She swallowed.
“I accepted too much.”
She agreed to provide testimony about Nathan's work, his final weeks, and the threats he had mentioned before his death.
She also provided old photographs, messages, and financial records.
Alessandro offered to pay for independent legal counsel.
Elena hesitated.
Then accepted through an arrangement that preserved the attorney's independence.
She refused personal gifts.
Refused money beyond what was legally owed.
Refused anything that might make her testimony appear purchased.
One afternoon, Alessandro visited the secure apartment with permission from the protection team.
Sophia ran toward him.
“Mr. Alessandro!”
He crouched.
“Hello, Sophia.”
She hugged him.
He froze.
Then carefully hugged her back.
Elena watched from the doorway.
Something softened in her expression.
Sophia pulled away.
“Did the doctor fix your pills?”
Alessandro nodded.
“Yes.”
“Do they sound right now?”
He smiled.
“They do.”
Sophia looked satisfied.
Then held up a drawing.
It showed Alessandro standing beside Elena and Sophia.
Above them was a large yellow sun.
Alessandro stared.
“What's this?”
“Our family.”
Elena's face turned red.
“Sophia.”
The little girl looked confused.
“What?”
Alessandro smiled faintly.
He looked at Elena.
She looked away.
Later, when Sophia was playing in the next room, Alessandro spoke quietly.
“She misses her father.”
Elena nodded.
“Every day.”
He looked down.
“I can't replace him.”
Elena turned toward him.
“No one can.”
Alessandro nodded.
“I know.”
She studied him.
Then said:
“But you can be someone she trusts.”
Alessandro looked up.
For a moment, he couldn't speak.
May you like
Because trust was something he had spent his entire life demanding.
And something he was only now learning how to earn.
