Chapter 11
Elena did not forgive Matteo because the twist proved he had been deceived too.
She was clear about that.
“You trusted them with our daughter.”
Matteo nodded.
“Yes.”
“You read reports instead of asking me.”
“Yes.”
“You let Renato tell you I didn’t want to see you.”
“Yes.”
Her voice cracked.
“And some part of you believed I could live like that and still be taking fifty thousand dollars from you.”
That was harder.
Matteo took a long time before answering.
“Yes.”
Elena looked away.
He did not defend himself.
That became the first useful thing he did for their relationship.
He stopped explaining.
The investigation widened.
Several vendors had acted in good faith.
They were told the services were being maintained for Elena’s use.
The landlord did nothing wrong.
The school accepted a legitimate deposit.
The concierge practice held appointments open because it had been paid.
Other people had more difficult questions to answer.
A security vendor invoiced for patrols that never occurred.
One consultant knowingly created backdated service summaries.
Renato had approved both.
Julia separated what could be proven from what merely looked ugly.
Matteo insisted on that.
He did not want rage turning every Bellandi employee into a criminal.
Lucille’s attorney began arguing that no guardianship petition had ever actually been filed.
Technically true.
Matteo’s answer was simple.
“Then explain the fake financial picture.”
Lucille stopped speaking to him directly.
That hurt more than Matteo expected.
She was his mother.
She taught him to tie his shoes.
Sat beside him after his father died.
Defended him in rooms he had never known were dangerous.
All of that remained true.
May you like
So did what she had done to Emma.
Love did not become evidence of innocence simply because it was real.
