Chapter 7 - The Woman at the Cemetery
Three years of peace had taught Elena Rossi to recognize happiness.
It lived in Matteo's laughter echoing through the hallways, in Dante's coffee cup beside hers every morning, and in the quiet moments when her husband returned home and kissed her forehead before asking how her day had been.
She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be afraid.
Almost.
The first warning arrived on a Tuesday morning.
Elena was preparing breakfast when Matteo came running into the kitchen, holding a white envelope.
"Mama! Someone left this at the front gate!"
Elena smiled, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.
"Who brought it, sweetheart?"
"A lady. She said it was for you. She knew my name."
The smile disappeared from Elena's face.
The envelope had no return address. Her name was written across the front in elegant black handwriting.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed a young woman standing outside a Boston hospital, holding a newborn baby. The photograph was old, perhaps fifteen years.
Elena turned it over.
Three words were written on the back.
ASK DANTE ABOUT HER.
Her fingers went cold.
"Matteo, sweetheart, go find Mrs. Collins. Tell her I need her to take you upstairs."
"But Papa said—"
"Please, honey."
The boy noticed the fear in her eyes and quietly obeyed.
Elena immediately called Dante.
He answered on the second ring.
"Good morning, beautiful."
"Where are you?"
"At the warehouse. What's wrong?"
"Someone left a photograph at the gate."
There was a pause.
"What photograph?"
Elena looked at the image again.
"A woman with a baby. The note says I should ask you about her."
Dante's voice changed.
"Don't touch anything else. I'm coming home."
"Dante, who is she?"
"I'll explain when I get there."
"No. You explain now."
Another silence.
Then he said something that made her stomach tighten.
"Her name was Sofia."
"Was?"
"She died fifteen years ago."
Before Elena could ask another question, Dante ended the call.
Twenty minutes later, his black Mercedes swept through the gates.
He entered the kitchen with two bodyguards behind him. His eyes immediately found the photograph.
For the first time since Elena had known him, Dante Moretti looked genuinely frightened.
"Where did you get this?"
"Matteo found it at the gate."
Dante picked up the photograph.
His jaw tightened.
"Sofia was my younger sister."
Elena stared at him.
"You never told me you had a sister."
"Because there was nothing left to tell."
He placed the photograph on the counter.
"She died in a car accident when she was twenty-two. Her baby died with her."
Elena looked at the photograph again.
"Then why would someone send this to us?"
Dante didn't answer.
He called his head of security.
"Lock down the estate. Nobody enters or leaves without my authorization. Find out who delivered this envelope."
Elena grabbed his arm.
"Dante, you're scaring me."
He looked at her, and for a moment the ruthless businessman disappeared.
"I should have told you about Sofia."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because she was the only person I couldn't protect."
That afternoon, Elena accompanied Dante to St. Michael's Cemetery.
Sofia's grave stood beneath an old oak tree. Dante placed white roses beside the headstone.
Elena knelt to read the inscription.
Sofia Moretti. Beloved Daughter. Beloved Sister.
But something was wrong.
The date of death was fifteen years earlier.
Elena studied the photograph again.
The baby in Sofia's arms wore a hospital bracelet.
She zoomed in with her phone.
There was a name written on it.
M. MORETTI.
Her breath caught.
"Dante."
He turned.
"Look at this."
Dante examined the photograph.
His face lost all color.
Before either could speak, his phone vibrated.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Matteo sleeping in his bedroom.
Underneath it were six words.
Your sister's son is still alive.
Dante immediately raised his weapon.
May you like
And Elena realized that someone had been watching their little boy.
For years.
