Chapter 10 - THE MAN WHO CAME BACK FROM THE FIRE
I didn't sleep.
For four years, I'd mourned my brother.
Now his voice echoed in my head.
Stay away from Elena and my daughter.
He believed I was dangerous.
He believed I had betrayed him.
And he had no idea his daughter had been living under my roof.
Daniel traced the call to a prepaid phone.
The location was uncertain.
But the call had passed through a network near Newark.
I wanted to send men searching.
Instead, I stopped.
Gabriel was frightened.
Possibly traumatized.
And someone had spent years convincing him I was his enemy.
If I approached him with armed guards, I might lose him forever.
I asked Elena to meet me.
She listened as I explained.
Her face went pale.
“Gabriel?”
I nodded.
“He's alive.”
She covered her mouth.
Then began crying.
I reached for her hand.
She gripped it.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Finally, Elena whispered:
“He called me once.”
I stared.
“When?”
“Six months after the fire.”
My chest tightened.
“What did he say?”
“He told me not to trust anyone.”
“Did he know about Mia?”
Elena shook her head.
“I told him I was pregnant before he disappeared. But I never got to tell him she was born.”
I swallowed.
“And after that?”
“No more calls.”
We contacted Gabriel through a secure message placed with someone he once trusted outside the family.
I wrote it myself.
Gabriel,
Elena is safe. Your daughter is safe. I never betrayed you.
I don't know what you've been told, but I want to hear your side.
No guards. No threats. Just your brother.
Lorenzo.
Two days later, a reply arrived.
OLD PIER. MIDNIGHT. COME ALONE.
I stared at the message.
It could be a trap.
It could be Gabriel.
It could be the last chance I'd ever have to see him.
I did not go alone.
I informed the authorities handling the threats and arranged for discreet observation at a distance, while approaching the meeting point myself.
The pier was dark.
Cold wind swept across the water.
At the far end stood a man in a black coat.
He turned.
My heart stopped.
Gabriel.
Older.
Thinner.
A scar running along his jaw.
But alive.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he said:
“Lorenzo.”
My throat tightened.
“Gabriel.”
He stared at me.
“You look old.”
I laughed through tears.
“So do you.”
His expression hardened.
“Don't come closer.”
I stopped.
He swallowed.
“Did you order the fire?”
I stared.
“No.”
He looked away.
“That's what they told me.”
“Who?”
He hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Cassandra Vale.”
I took a slow breath.
“Gabriel, Cassandra has been manipulating both of us.”
He stared.
I continued.
“She used our father's secrets to turn us against each other.”
Gabriel's eyes filled.
“And Elena?”
“Safe.”
He swallowed.
“My child?”
I smiled through tears.
“You have a daughter.”
His face crumpled.
I continued.
“Her name is Mia.”
Gabriel covered his mouth.
For the first time, I saw my brother cry.
Then he whispered:
“Can I see her?”
I nodded.
May you like
“Yes.”
And for the first time in four years, I stepped forward and hugged my brother.
