Chapter 13 - The Truth Behind the Locked Door
The footage was difficult to watch. Elena appeared in the corridor, guiding Mia toward a service stairwell. Smoke drifted from the far end of the hall. A man in a dark coat entered through the rear entrance and turned the lock behind him.
It was Victor Sloane.
Isabella appeared a moment later. She argued with him, then ran toward the front doors. She did not start the fire on camera, but she had known it was underway and left without warning the people inside.
The investigators believed Victor set the blaze to destroy records Elena had gathered. Carlo had supplied the access codes. Isabella had helped conceal their financial crimes and lied about being at the property.
Antonio sat through the footage without moving. When it ended, he asked the detective to play the section showing Elena again.
She had pushed Mia through the stairwell door before turning back for the envelope of evidence. She never made it out.
Mia chose not to watch. Antonio supported her decision. Instead, he told her what mattered: her mother had loved her, had protected her, and had never abandoned her.
Isabella was arrested after investigators matched her communications to the cover-up. She tried to bargain, offering testimony against Victor. Antonio refused to meet her. He had nothing left to say.
That night he asked me to walk with him by the garden. The roses Elena planted had begun to bloom again.
“I don't want you to stay because you feel responsible for us,” he said.
“I know.”
“I want you to stay because you want to.”
May you like
I looked toward the house, where Mia's bedroom lamp glowed warmly. “Then ask me again when the danger is over.”
He nodded. “I will.”
