Chapter 13 - The Wedding Day Without a Bride
Saturday morning arrived cold and bright.
The wedding day.
The day Vanessa had planned for almost a year.
There should have been white roses outside the church.
A string quartet.
Four hundred guests.
A reception overlooking Lake Michigan.
Instead, the estate was quiet.
Ethan sat at the breakfast table in his favorite blue sweatshirt.
Julia was making coffee.
Luca stood beside the window, looking at his phone.
"Do we have to go anywhere today?" Ethan asked.
Luca turned.
"Nope."
"Not even church?"
"Not unless you want to."
Ethan thought about that.
"Can we go to the park?"
Luca smiled.
"Sure."
"And can Mom come?"
Julia looked up.
"If your dad doesn't mind."
Luca glanced at her.
"I'd like that."
Ethan grinned.
"Can Miss Nora come too?"
I laughed.
"If your parents want me there."
Julia smiled.
"Of course."
For a few hours, we were going to do something ordinary.
No lawyers.
No investigators.
No financial documents.
Just a child going to the park.
But before we left, a delivery arrived.
A white box tied with silver ribbon.
The courier handed it to Mrs. Carter.
"Special delivery for Mr. Moretti."
Luca looked at the label.
His expression hardened.
"From Vanessa."
Daniel, who had arrived early, approached.
"Don't open it until we document the package."
Luca nodded.
The box was photographed.
Then opened.
Inside was Vanessa's wedding dress veil.
Folded neatly.
Beneath it sat a small envelope.
Luca removed the letter.
He read silently.
Then handed it to Daniel.
"What does it say?" Julia asked.
Luca looked tired.
"She wants me to remember what we had before all this."
Julia's expression didn't change.
"And?"
"She says she still loves me."
Ethan looked toward the box.
"Is that from Vanessa?"
Luca crouched.
"Yes."
Ethan hesitated.
"Is she coming back?"
"No, buddy."
"Ever?"
Luca took a breath.
"Not to live here."
Ethan nodded.
Then he asked, "Does she still get to be mad at me?"
Luca's face changed.
"No."
"Okay."
The simplicity of that answer broke my heart.
Nine years old.
And all he wanted was permission to stop being afraid.
We left for the park an hour later.
Ethan raced toward the swings.
Julia followed him.
Luca and I walked along the path.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Then he said, "I used to think money could solve most problems."
I smiled faintly.
"Has it?"
"No."
He looked toward Ethan.
"It made it easier for me to ignore the ones I didn't want to see."
I considered that.
"Money didn't make Vanessa treat Ethan that way."
"No."
"But it gave her access to things she shouldn't have controlled."
He nodded.
"You're right."
We walked a little farther.
Then he looked at me.
"Nora, I've been meaning to ask about your mother."
I stopped.
"She's doing okay."
"Still receiving treatment?"
"Yes."
"Is she able to get everything she needs?"
I hesitated.
"We're managing."
Luca studied me.
"That's not what I asked."
I looked down.
"The bills are difficult."
He nodded.
"Daniel told me the household employment benefits were never reviewed after the last management change. That's being corrected for everyone, not just you."
I looked up.
"Sir—"
"And I'd like you to consider a different position."
My heart sank.
"You're letting me go?"
He looked surprised.
"No."
"Oh."
"You're one of the few people who consistently understood what Ethan needed. But you've also had to do it without clear authority or enough support."
I waited.
"I'd like to create a proper family support coordinator position. You'd have defined responsibilities, training, appropriate compensation, and a direct reporting relationship to Julia and me for Ethan-related matters."
I stared at him.
"Mr. Moretti..."
"You don't have to accept. And it wouldn't make you responsible for replacing either parent."
I thought about Ethan.
About Mrs. Carter.
About the staff who had been afraid to question Vanessa.
"Would I still work with Ethan?"
"Yes."
"Would Mrs. Carter still be in charge of the household?"
"Absolutely."
I smiled.
"Then I'd like to talk about it."
Luca nodded.
"Good."
We continued walking.
Then Ethan shouted from the swings.
"Dad! Watch this!"
Luca turned.
Ethan swung his legs.
Higher.
Higher.
Then jumped safely into the soft mulch.
Luca laughed.
"Nice one, buddy!"
Ethan ran toward us.
He threw himself against his father's legs.
"Can we get ice cream?"
Julia approached.
"After lunch."
Ethan groaned.
"Mom!"
She laughed.
"That's still my answer."
For the first time since the dinner disaster, I heard Ethan laugh without looking over his shoulder.
It was a beautiful sound.
But the moment didn't last.
Luca's phone rang.
Daniel's name appeared.
He answered.
I watched his face grow serious.
"What?"
A pause.
"Are you sure?"
He looked toward Ethan.
Then stepped a few feet away.
"Where?"
Another pause.
"Did anyone get hurt?"
My stomach tightened.
Julia noticed too.
She took Ethan's hand.
"Come on, sweetheart. Let's go see the ducks."
He followed her reluctantly.
Luca ended the call.
"What happened?" I asked.
He looked toward the lake.
"Richard Bellini tried to leave the country this morning."
My eyes widened.
"Did he?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Authorities stopped him at the airport in connection with an investigation into his company's financial records."
I stared at him.
"And Vanessa?"
Luca shook his head.
"She's been asked to speak with investigators."
I thought of the white box.
The veil.
The letter.
The wedding that would never happen.
Then Luca said something that changed the way I understood the entire week.
"Daniel says Richard's attorneys have disclosed another set of documents."
"What kind?"
"Emails between Richard and Vanessa."
I swallowed.
"About Ethan?"
Luca nodded.
"One of them was sent the morning of the engagement dinner."
I felt cold.
"What did it say?"
Luca looked directly at me.
"Richard told Vanessa the wedding couldn't proceed unless she proved Ethan was no longer going to interfere with their financial plans."
I stared.
"And her answer?"
Luca's expression turned to stone.
"She told him she had arranged a demonstration."
The word made my stomach twist.
"A demonstration?"
He nodded slowly.
"The dinner."
The pecan cake.
The missing medication.
The frightened little boy.
May you like
The scene we'd all believed was a terrible incident.
Someone had described it in advance as a demonstration.
