Chapter 4
I ran to my office first.
Not the fire.
Not the chapel.
My daughter.
Livia sat on the leather sofa wrapped in my suit jacket, her shaved patch covered gently with gauze.
Dr. Vale was beside her.
Rosalie stood in front of the door like she would fight an army with her bare hands.
When Livia saw me, she burst into tears again.
I lifted her carefully.
“I’ve got you.”
“Bianca was loud,” she sobbed.
“I know.”
“She said Mommy can’t help me because Mommy is dust.”
My chest went hollow.
Rosalie closed her eyes.
Dr. Vale looked away.
I held my daughter tighter.
“Your mommy is not dust,” I whispered. “She is love. And love does not disappear.”
Livia touched my cheek.
“Then why did she hide secrets?”
I looked at the rabbit in Rosalie’s hands.
“Because she wanted to protect you.”
Nico appeared in the doorway.
“The west wing fire is contained. Small device in the linen room. Smoke, no structural damage.”
“A distraction.”
“Yes.”
“The security room?”
“Hard drives damaged.”
“Backups?”
“Checking.”
I handed him both memory cards.
“Not in the house.”
He understood.
“I’ll take them to Father Luca’s old office across the street.”
“No. Take Rosalie.”
Rosalie blinked.
“Me?”
I looked at her.
“Elena trusted you?”
Her face changed.
Pain crossed it.
“Yes.”
That answer moved through me like a blade.
“You knew?”
“I knew Elena was afraid. I did not know what she hid.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Rosalie’s eyes filled.
“Because she made me promise I would only speak if Livia was threatened.”
I looked at my daughter’s hair.
The promise had matured in the cruelest way.
“Go with Nico.”
Rosalie hesitated.
“Livia?”
“I will keep her with me.”
She nodded.
Before she left, Livia reached for her.
“Rosie.”
Rosalie bent close.
Livia whispered, “Mommy said the flower opens when bad people cut it.”
Rosalie froze.
“What?”
My daughter touched the broken barrette.
“The flower opens.”
I looked at the cracked plastic flower.
There was a tiny metal strip inside.
Not decoration.
A key.
Elena, my brilliant Elena, had hidden the cards and the key separately.
I pressed the strip into Rosalie’s palm.
“Go.”
As they left through the service hall, Bianca stormed into my office.
Her wedding robe was gone.
She wore a white silk dress now, half-zipped, furious and beautiful and ugly in every way that mattered.
“You are ruining everything.”
I laughed quietly.
“You shaved my daughter’s hair, started a fire, and threatened my staff. But I am ruining everything?”
Her eyes went to Livia.
“She was never supposed to be part of today.”
My body went still.
“What did you say?”
Bianca’s mouth snapped shut.
Too late.
Livia buried her face in my neck.
“Not part,” she whispered.
“Bianca,” I said softly, “what was supposed to happen to my daughter today?”
She took one step back.
I took one step forward.
Before she could answer, Donatella entered with my uncle Carlo.
My uncle avoided my eyes.
That hurt worse than I expected.
Carlo said, “Alessandro, listen before this becomes war.”
I looked at him.
“Were you part of it?”
He swallowed.
“Part of what?”
I shifted Livia higher in my arms.
“My wife’s murder. My daughter’s terror. My wedding to a woman who came hunting through a child’s hair.”
No one spoke.
Then Livia lifted her head.
May you like
She pointed at Carlo.
“Mommy said Uncle Carlo opened the gate.”
