Chapter 5 - Luca’s Grandfather Had Chosen the Lie First

Luca did not speak for several seconds.

His grandfather.

Domenico Bellini.

Dead eleven years.

The man Luca remembered as gentle.

Quiet.

The man who taught him chess.

Elena stood.

“My father-in-law helped?”

Julian nodded.

“The cassette says so.”

Ruth found an old player in the archive office.

The tape began.

Antonio Bellini’s voice.

Older.

Tired.

“Domenico knows Elena is leaving.”

Luca froze.

Another voice.

Victor.

“What did you tell him?”

“That she has copies.”

“And?”

“He said Luca stays.”

Elena covered her mouth.

Antonio continued.

“He said if Elena takes Luca, he will report her as unstable and use the family judge.”

Luca whispered:

“Grandfather.”

Victor laughed on the tape.

“He finally learned.”

Antonio answered:

“He learned nothing.”

Silence.

Then:

“He just chose the family name over Elena.”

Luca closed his eyes.

The cassette continued.

Victor asked:

“Does Domenico know about the accounts in Luca’s name?”

“Yes.”

“Does he care?”

“Only that Luca never finds out.”

Luca stared at the player.

Elena whispered:

“He told me he was trying to help.”

Julian looked at her.

“He was trying to keep Luca.”

The tape continued.

Antonio said:

“Domenico arranged the purse at the station.”

Ruth gasped.

Elena stared.

“What?”

Antonio’s voice:

“He wanted police to believe she left voluntarily.”

Victor answered:

“That was clever.”

Antonio said:

“No.”

“It was cruel.”

Silence.

Luca looked at his mother.

“You didn’t leave the purse.”

“No.”

“Grandfather did.”

“Yes.”

She started crying.

“All these years, I thought Antonio did.”

Luca looked back at the tape.

Victor asked:

“And the train ticket?”

“Domenico bought it.”

“To where?”

“Montreal.”

“But Elena never boarded.”

“No.”

The tape clicked.

Then Antonio said:

“Domenico told Luca she probably ran away with someone.”

Luca stood so suddenly the chair moved backward.

“That was him.”

Elena whispered:

“What?”

“He told me that.”

“When?”

“The week you vanished.”

Luca stared at the floor.

“He sat beside me and told me some adults choose themselves.”

Elena’s face broke.

Ruth whispered:

“Oh, Luca.”

He shook his head.

“No.”

The tape continued.

Antonio said:

“I let my father poison my son against his mother because I was afraid she would expose me too.”

Luca froze.

There it was.

Not Victor.

Not Domenico.

His father.

Again.

A choice.

The cassette ended.

Nobody spoke.

Julian closed the box.

Luca stared at it.

Nineteen years of blame.

Spread across four people.

Antonio.

Domenico.

Victor.

Elena herself.

And now Serena.

Luca looked at his mother.

“Why did you keep protecting Dad?”

Elena shook her head.

“I didn’t know this part.”

“But after he found you six years later?”

“Yes.”

“You knew he had used my name.”

“Not then.”

“When?”

“Four years before he died.”

Luca stared.

“And you still stayed away.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he said Victor would destroy you.”

Luca laughed bitterly.

“Everyone keeps saving me by not speaking to me.”

Elena’s eyes filled.

“I know.”

“No.”

He looked at her.

“You know now.”

She accepted that.

“Yes.”

Serena stood near the wall.

Very still.

Luca turned to Julian.

“Why bring the box back?”

Julian answered:

“Because Dad told me to burn it.”

Serena stared at him.

“He did?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t.”

“No.”

“Why?”

Julian looked at Luca.

“Because I found something else.”

He opened a second folder.

VOSS FAMILY TRUST.

Luca frowned.

Julian continued.

“Our father is not only protecting old money.”

Serena looked at him.

“What?”

Julian handed her the trust.

She read.

Her face changed.

“If Serena marries Luca Bellini…”

Luca looked up.

She continued.

“…joint family assets may be moved into Voss Family Consolidated under emergency exposure provisions.”

Silence.

Julian nodded.

“Dad wrote the merger into the marriage structure.”

Serena looked sick.

“I never signed this.”

“No.”

“It is in a family trust amendment.”

“When?”

“Three years ago.”

Luca stared at her.

Before their engagement.

Before she knew Elena was alive.

Victor had been planning it.

Julian said:

“Dad expected the marriage.”

Luca asked:

“Did he arrange us?”

Serena went still.

Julian hesitated.

That hesitation was enough.

Luca’s face hardened.

“Did he?”

Julian answered:

“He encouraged the first meeting.”

Serena whispered:

“No.”

“At the Voss Foundation dinner.”

“I thought you invited me.”

Julian looked ashamed.

“Dad told me to seat you beside Luca.”

Serena stared.

Luca laughed quietly.

“Of course.”

She looked at him.

“I didn’t know.”

“I believe you.”

Again.

The saddest sentence in the room.

Julian continued.

“But after that, whatever happened between you was yours.”

Luca looked at Serena.

She looked back.

That mattered.

Not enough.

But it mattered.

Then Ruth’s phone rang.

The library alarm.

Motion detected upstairs.

Ruth looked at the screen.

“Someone entered the main floor.”

Luca looked toward the basement stairs.

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Julian whispered:

“Dad.”