Chapter 3: The Letter My Mother Hid
I took the envelope.
Not because I trusted Luca.
Not because I understood anything.
Because it was my mother’s handwriting.
And eight years was a long time to wait for a voice you thought you would never hear again.
My fingers shook as I opened it.
The paper inside was folded twice.
Only one page.
Only a few sentences.
Avery,
If you are reading this, it means Luca found you.
I’m sorry.
I wanted to protect you from this world.
But I was never as successful as I hoped.
My breath caught.
I read the next line.
Luca Moretti is not the danger everyone believes he is.
I looked up.
Impossible.
The man standing in front of me was still the same man.
The rumors.
The fear.
The reputation.
My mother was defending him?
I continued.
But the people around him are dangerous. If anything happens to me, you must trust only Luca.
Only him.
The letter blurred.
I forced myself to keep reading.
The necklace you wear belonged to my closest friend. It is not jewelry. It is a promise.
A promise?
My hand went to the pendant.
I had worn it for years.
Never knowing.
The final sentence made my entire body freeze.
Your father is not the man I told you about.
I stopped.
The words didn’t make sense.
They couldn’t.
My father was Michael Marino.
A mechanic.
A quiet man.
A man who loved baseball and fixed broken radios.
A man who died when I was fifteen.
I looked at Luca.
“What is this?””
Nobody spoke.
“Tell me.””
Luca’s expression was unreadable.
“My father wasn’t Michael Marino.””
The words came out before I could stop them.
Daniel looked away.
Luca didn’t.
“No.””
I laughed once.
A broken sound.
“No?””
“That’s what your mother was trying to tell you.””
“Who was he?””
Luca hesitated.
That scared me more than anything.
Because powerful men like Luca Moretti did not hesitate.
“Your biological father was someone who had enemies.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“No.””
His voice became quieter.
“And giving you his name could put you in danger.””
I folded the letter.
“You don’t get to decide that.””
“You’re right.””
The agreement surprised me.
“I don’t.””
He looked at me.
“But I do know what happens when people learn about you.””
My anger weakened.
Not disappeared.
Just changed.
“What happens?””
Luca looked toward the windows.
Outside, rain had started falling.
“When your father died, many people believed his bloodline ended.””
My skin prickled.
“Bloodline?””
“I know this sounds impossible.””
“It sounds insane.””
“I agree.””
That was the first normal thing he had said.
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Then the front door opened.
One of Luca’s guards immediately moved.
A man entered.
Wet from the rain.
Breathing hard.
“Boss.””
Luca’s entire expression changed.
“What happened?””
The man looked at me.
Then stopped.
“Is that her?””
The room went silent.
Luca’s voice became dangerous.
“Choose your next words carefully.””
The man swallowed.
“We found out who leaked the information.””
“What information?””
I asked.
Nobody answered.
That was becoming a pattern.
I stepped forward.
“What information?””
May you like
Luca looked at me.
For the first time, I saw
