Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN IN THE RED DRESS
Vanessa Bellini did not accept the broken engagement quietly.
Three days after Luca ended it, she appeared on a local television program.
She wore a cream-colored suit.
Her hair was perfectly styled.
Her expression was wounded.
“I loved Sofia like my own daughter,” she told the interviewer.
“But Luca's household became increasingly unstable.”
The interviewer leaned forward.
“Are you saying the engagement ended because of disagreements over the child's care?”
Vanessa sighed.
“I only wanted what was medically best for her.”
I watched the interview from the kitchen.
My stomach twisted.
Then Vanessa said my name.
“Unfortunately, a young domestic employee began interfering in medical decisions.”
The interviewer raised an eyebrow.
“A housekeeper?”
Vanessa nodded sadly.
“She encouraged dangerous activity without proper supervision.”
I switched off the television.
My hands were shaking.
Twenty minutes later, my phone began ringing.
Unknown numbers.
Messages.
Social media notifications.
Someone had posted my photograph.
The caption called me an unqualified maid who endangered a disabled child.
I sat on the kitchen floor and cried.
Not because strangers disliked me.
Because I knew what this could do to my family.
My mother had recently undergone surgery.
Her mortgage payments were overdue.
I was helping cover her expenses.
If I lost my job, I didn't know what would happen.
Luca found me there.
He stopped in the doorway.
“Emily?”
I wiped my face.
“I'm fine.”
He looked at my phone.
Then at the tears on my cheeks.
“No, you're not.”
I tried to stand.
He held out a hand.
I took it.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered.
His expression changed.
“For what?”
“For causing trouble.”
He stared.
Then said:
“You didn't cause this.”
I looked down.
“Vanessa says I'm responsible.”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Vanessa is lying.”
He sat beside me at the kitchen table.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he said:
“I've asked my attorneys to address the false allegations.”
I nodded.
“And Emily?”
“Yes?”
“Your job is safe.”
My eyes filled.
He continued.
“But if you decide you don't want to work here anymore, I'll understand.”
I stared.
“Why would I leave?”
He looked toward the hallway.
“Because my life has brought danger to yours.”
I thought about Sofia.
Her courage.
Her fear.
The way she'd held my hand in front of fifty people.
I shook my head.
“I'm not leaving because Vanessa wants me gone.”
Luca smiled faintly.
“Stubborn.”
I smiled through tears.
“Very.”
That evening, Sofia found me in the library.
She carried a drawing.
It showed three people standing beneath a rainbow.
One was in a wheelchair.
One wore a blue dress.
The third was tall, with dark hair.
“Who's this?” I asked.
Sofia pointed.
“Daddy.”
Then herself.
Then me.
I smiled.
“What's the picture called?”
She looked at me.
“Family.”
May you like
My heart broke a little.
Because I knew I was beginning to love them both.
