Chapter 11 - The Brother Who Sold Our Trust
Antonio confronted Carlo in the study, with Helen and two police officers present. I waited in the hall, close enough to hear the voices rise. Carlo denied paying the kidnapper until Helen placed the transfer records on the desk.
Then he stopped pretending.
He said he'd helped Victor hide the stolen funds because he owed money to dangerous men. He insisted the summer-house fire was supposed to destroy documents, not kill Elena. When the flames spread, he fled rather than help.
Antonio's voice broke. “My daughter was inside.”
“I didn't know.”
“You knew Elena was there.”
Carlo could not answer.
The officers took him away. Antonio stood alone in the doorway long after their car left. I had never seen a man look so powerful and so utterly defeated at the same time.
Mia heard enough to understand her uncle had betrayed them. She did not cry. She asked whether people could love someone and still do terrible things.
“Yes,” I told her. “But love doesn't excuse what they do.”
Antonio joined us at the table. He promised Mia he would cooperate with the investigation, even if the evidence damaged his own family and business. She asked if that meant the bad people would finally stop coming.
“I hope so,” he said. “And I'll keep working until you can feel safe.”
That night I found him outside beneath the bare trees. He said he had spent years trying to avenge Elena without ever understanding what she wanted.
“She wanted Mia to have a life,” I said.
May you like
He looked at me. “And what do you want, Grace?”
The answer frightened me more than the question.
