Chapter 6 - THE SECRET IN PIETRO'S LAST LETTER
Three days later, Nora found a letter hidden inside her grandfather's old cookbook.
It was addressed to her.
She recognized his handwriting immediately.
My little sparrow,
If you're reading this, I've finally run out of time to explain the things I was too ashamed to say while I was alive.
Nora sat on the kitchen floor.
The letter continued.
Pietro admitted that he had once belonged to the Gallo family.
He explained why he changed his name.
Why he never returned to Sicily.
But the final pages contained something unexpected.
Salvatore was weak when we were young. He wanted power more than truth. But he was not the monster everyone believed him to be.
Nora swallowed.
The real monster was Vincenzo Carbone.
Her hands trembled.
He arranged the betrayal that forced me from Sicily. He stole money from our family and blamed me.
Then came the line that made Nora stop breathing.
Your mother knew.
Nora stared.
Elena had died when Nora was twelve.
A car accident.
That was what everyone said.
But Pietro's letter continued.
Elena discovered Vincenzo was using our family accounts to move money. She tried to report him. Three weeks later, her brakes failed.
Nora dropped the letter.
For years, she'd believed her mother's death was an accident.
Now she understood why her grandfather had never allowed her to drive the old family car.
Why he checked the locks every night.
Why he kept a ledger hidden beneath his bed.
He had known.
And he'd been afraid.
Nora called Dante.
When he answered, she could barely speak.
“My mother.”
Dante's voice changed.
“What happened?”
May you like
Nora began crying.
“I think she was murdered.”
