Chapter 6 - THE LETTER SOPHIA LEFT BEHIND
Sophia had written me a letter before she died.
I found it in her desk six weeks after the explosion.
The envelope was labeled:
FOR ALESSANDRO, WHEN YOU BECOME A FATHER.
I had been unable to open it.
Every time I tried, I imagined her handwriting becoming the last thing she'd ever say to me.
One evening, after Leo had another successful feeding, I finally broke the seal.
Inside was a single page.
My love,
If you're reading this, our baby is finally here.
I know you're frightened. You hide fear behind anger, but I've always seen through you.
Promise me something.
Don't teach our child that power means making people afraid.
Teach him that strength means making people feel safe.
And please, Alessandro, don't let the world turn your heart into stone.
Our baby deserves to know the man I fell in love with.
Love, Sophia.
I read it three times.
Then I cried.
Not quietly.
Not with dignity.
I bent over her desk and sobbed until my chest hurt.
For weeks, I had been trying to save Leo by controlling everything.
Doctors.
Security.
Money.
People.
But the one thing that had helped him was something I couldn't command.
A grieving woman had heard him cry.
And chosen to help.
I folded Sophia's letter.
Then called Luca.
“I want a complete review of the family's operations.”
He hesitated.
“What kind?”
“The kind we've avoided for years.”
Silence.
Then he said:
“Alessandro, that could destroy everything.”
May you like
I looked at Sophia's handwriting.
“Maybe some of it needs to be destroyed.”
