Chapter 12 - VANESSA'S LAST BARGAIN
Vanessa did not enter the estate.
Detective Ruiz arranged to meet her elsewhere, with her attorney present. I learned what I was permitted to learn later, and some details would remain private until the legal process finished.
Vanessa admitted she'd tried to exclude Ethan from the wedding. She had wanted Luca to begin believing that his son's needs were incompatible with their future life together. The dinner was meant to give her a public example she could use. In her telling, she never thought he'd actually eat the chocolate cake.
That explanation still turned my stomach.
She had placed a known allergen before a child who trusted her and encouraged him to eat. Whatever she'd intended, the danger was real.
She also alleged Adrian had pressured her to obtain Luca's signature on financial documents. Dominic, she said, had provided access to internal schedules and financial information. The men wanted control of funds and leverage over Luca's decisions.
Her lawyer described her as manipulated. The investigators treated that claim as something to examine, not simply accept.
Vanessa requested leniency in exchange for cooperation. It was not Luca's decision to grant it.
When I heard about the interview, I felt no triumph. I'd imagined an apology would make me feel clean, as though all the fear could be washed away at once. Instead I felt angry, and tired, and protective of Ethan.
One afternoon, Claire called to ask if I could help Ethan choose a gift for his father's birthday. We met at a bookstore and picked out a book about astronomy. He wanted to write the card himself.
DADDY, I LIKE WHEN YOU LISTEN TO ME. LOVE, ETHAN.
It took him three tries to get the letters right.
"Is it enough?" he asked.
"It's wonderful."
He tucked it inside the book with a grin.
On the way home, I received a call from the nonprofit. They offered me the coordinator role.
I said yes.
That evening I told Mrs. Carter first. She hugged me so fiercely I nearly lost my balance.
"You were always more than the uniform," she whispered.
Telling Luca was harder.
We stood in the garden while the last sunlight touched the stone steps.
"I accepted a new job," I said. "I start next month."
His face lit up. "Nora, that's wonderful."
"You aren't upset?"
"I never wanted you trapped here."
He sounded so sincere that I let myself tell him the thing I'd kept buried.
"I care about you. More than I should have let myself."
His breath caught.
"But I need to leave as your employee before I can decide what that means."
"Then take all the time you need," he said.
He didn't reach for me. That was how I knew he meant it.
A few days later, authorities announced charges against Adrian and Dominic related to alleged financial misconduct and intimidation. The investigation into the dessert incident and Vanessa's role continued separately. Luca was cooperating and was not described as a defendant in the newly filed case. He didn't celebrate. He understood that charges were the beginning of a legal process, not its end.
I hoped that meant the threats were over.
Then Marco brought news that Adrian had been located and taken into custody.
May you like
Before the relief could settle, he added one more sentence.
"There's evidence someone inside the house was still giving him information."
