Chapter 9 - Why Elena Really Left

Marco stared at Anthony.

His father didn’t deny it.

Valentina whispered:

“What does that mean?”

Elena looked at Marco.

“Your father wanted revenge.”

Anthony closed his eyes.

“After Michael died?”

“No.”

“Before.”

Marco sat slowly.

Elena continued.

“Anthony discovered Sebastian had stolen his identity.”

“His inheritance.”

“His childhood.”

“He wanted to expose everything.”

“That sounds reasonable.”

“At first.”

She looked at Anthony.

“Then he started meeting people.”

“Which people?”

“Other families.”

“Smugglers.”

“Fixers.”

“Men willing to remove Sebastian.”

Marco’s face hardened.

“You were planning to kill him.”

Anthony nodded.

“Yes.”

Silence.

Marco laughed bitterly.

“So everyone was trying to protect me from everyone.”

“No,” Elena said.

“I was trying to protect you from becoming him.”

She pointed toward Sebastian.

Then toward Anthony.

“Either of them.”

Anthony accepted it.

“I was angry.”

“You were a father.”

“I was also a fool.”

Marco looked at Elena.

“So you disappeared.”

“Yes.”

“Without me.”

She started crying.

“I intended to take you.”

Marco’s jaw tightened.

“But?”

“Anthony found out.”

Anthony spoke.

“I thought Elena was taking Marco to Daniel.”

“She was.”

“I believed Daniel had betrayed me.”

Daniel looked at the floor.

“At that point, I had.”

Anthony continued.

“I told Elena if she took Marco, I would follow.”

Elena said:

“And if he followed, Sebastian would follow him.”

“So I left alone.”

Marco’s eyes closed.

Again.

Another parent leaving him to protect him.

Another version of love that looked exactly like abandonment.

Arthur stepped forward.

“Elena left the letters.”

“Yes.”

“Twenty-three.”

“One for every time I tried to come back.”

Marco stared.

“Twenty-three attempts?”

She nodded.

“Some years more than once.”

“What stopped you?”

“Threats.”

“Surveillance.”

“Anthony’s enemies.”

“Sebastian’s men.”

“Victor.”

“Sometimes fear.”

She wiped her tears.

“And sometimes cowardice.”

No one corrected her.

Marco looked at Anthony.

“And you?”

“I found her three years after she left.”

“The letters said you were together for ten years.”

“We were.”

“Why?”

Anthony looked at Elena.

“Because eventually we stopped blaming each other long enough to understand what had happened.”

Marco whispered:

“And then you stayed away together.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Anthony looked at his son.

“Because by then Sebastian had made you believe we were gone.”

“And every attempt to approach you triggered surveillance.”

Marco shook his head.

“You could have tried harder.”

Anthony’s eyes filled.

“Yes.”

That answer stopped him.

No excuses.

No strategy.

Just yes.

Marco turned toward Sebastian.

His uncle was watching.

Satisfied.

Even dying, he enjoyed the damage.

Marco saw it.

He stood.

“You wanted this.”

Sebastian smiled.

“What?”

“You wanted every truth to hurt enough that I would hate them.”

He looked at Elena.

Anthony.

Daniel.

Arthur.

Valentina.

“You built a family where everyone’s worst decision could be used against them.”

Sebastian’s smile faded.

Marco continued.

“You didn’t need loyalty.”

“You needed shame.”

Silence.

“And shame kept everyone quiet.”

Arthur nodded slowly.

Daniel looked at the floor.

Elena cried.

Anthony stared at his son.

Marco looked at Valentina.

She removed her engagement ring.

Again.

This time she placed it on the table.

Marco looked at it.

She whispered:

“I love you.”

“I know.”

“I hid your mother.”

“Yes.”

“I read letters that were yours.”

“Yes.”

“I believed lies about Arthur.”

“Yes.”

“I followed him to Toronto.”

“Yes.”

“And I almost led Victor to Elena.”

“Yes.”

Valentina swallowed.

“I don’t know how to fix that.”

Marco picked up the ring.

“Neither do I.”

She nodded.

He continued.

“So we don’t pretend.”

He placed the ring in his pocket.

“Not today.”

Valentina’s eyes filled.

“Is this over?”

Marco looked at her.

“The engagement is.”

She closed her eyes.

“And us?”

“I don’t know.”

It hurt her.

But it was honest.

For the first time, uncertainty was not being hidden.

Sebastian laughed weakly.

“So after all that, I still destroyed the wedding.”

Marco looked at him.

“No.”

He smiled faintly.

“You postponed a bad decision.”

Sebastian’s face hardened.

Marco turned to Arthur.

“What happens to him?”

Arthur looked toward the doors.

Sirens approached.

Daniel had contacted investigators before entering.

Sebastian stared at his younger brother.

Anthony.

At Elena.

At Marco.

Then he looked at the Roman numeral tattoo across Marco’s chest.

“What does that number mean?”

Marco glanced down.

“July 14.”

Sebastian frowned.

“My father’s birthday?”

“No.”

Marco shook his head.

“The day Arthur first hired me to work summers at the estate office.”

Arthur looked surprised.

“You remember?”

“Yes.”

“You taught me how to read invoices.”

Sebastian stared.

Marco continued.

“I thought family was blood.”

“Turns out the person who taught me not to steal from payroll mattered more.”

Arthur’s eyes filled.

Investigators entered.

Sebastian was taken into custody.

Ill.

Weak.

Still dangerous.

As he passed Marco, he whispered:

“You’ll regret letting them all live.”

Marco answered:

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“No.”

“I regret how long I believed you.”