Chapter 11 - THE HOUSEKEEPER WHO DIDN'T WANT HIS MONEY
Anna answered on the third ring.
“Mr. Moretti?”
“Anna.”
She sounded worried.
“Are you all right?”
“I'm recovering.”
“I'm glad.”
He hesitated.
“I wanted to thank you.”
Silence.
Then Anna said:
“You don't have to.”
“Yes,” Dante replied. “I do.”
He took a breath.
“Your daughter noticed something nobody else questioned. And you were brave enough to tell the truth even when it put your job at risk.”
Anna's voice softened.
“I was frightened.”
“I know.”
He swallowed.
“I'd like to make sure you and Sophie are taken care of.”
Anna hesitated.
“Mr. Moretti—”
“I don't mean buying your silence.”
She went quiet.
“I mean making sure you're safe, compensated for what happened, and free to decide whether you ever want to work at the estate again.”
Anna's eyes filled.
“Thank you.”
Dante arranged appropriate compensation and continued salary support through the investigation.
Anna accepted the employment-related payments but refused an extravagant personal gift.
“I don't want Sophie growing up thinking powerful men solve everything with money,” she told him.
Dante smiled faintly.
“Neither do I.”
Over the following months, Dante's health improved gradually.
He continued medical follow-up.
Some headaches remained.
Some memory gaps never fully returned.
But his thinking became clearer as his treatment was reviewed and adjusted.
He also began therapy to process the trauma of the bombing and the betrayal that followed.
One afternoon, Sophie visited the estate with Anna.
Dante met them in the garden.
Sophie ran toward him.
“Mister!”
He crouched.
“Hello, Sophie.”
She stared at his neck.
“Is the bug gone?”
Dante smiled.
“Yes.”
Her eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Really.”
She grinned.
“Good.”
Then she reached into her pocket.
And handed him another red crayon.
Dante laughed.
“Another one?”
Sophie nodded.
“For happy pictures.”
He looked at Anna.
May you like
She was smiling.
And for the first time in three years, Dante felt something close to peace.
