Chapter 10 - The Wedding That Never Ended
Victor Bellini was still alive when the ambulance arrived.
Barely.
Luca rode beside him, holding pressure against the wound while Dominic drove through the rain.
Elena sat in the rear seat with Sofia.
Vanessa had disappeared.
Nobody knew when she had left the farmhouse.
And Antonio Moretti was gone.
The old man had escaped during the confusion after the shooting.
But Luca barely noticed.
His mind was trapped in one sentence.
Michael is your twin.
For thirty years, he had believed Michael was his younger brother.
They had shared birthdays, childhood bedrooms, school fights, and family secrets.
They had grown up together.
And now he was being told that they had been separated at birth.
At the hospital, surgeons took Victor into emergency surgery.
Daniel stood beside Luca in the corridor.
“I knew Isabella had twins,” he said quietly.
Luca turned toward him.
“You knew?”
“I knew she delivered two boys. I didn't know where the second child went.”
“And you never told me?”
Daniel lowered his head.
“I was afraid.”
Luca laughed bitterly.
“Everyone in this family was afraid. And somehow, I was the only person who wasn't allowed to know why.”
Daniel accepted the accusation.
“I don't expect you to forgive me.”
“Good.”
Elena approached.
Sofia was asleep against her shoulder.
“Luca.”
He looked at his daughter.
“She wants to know if you're her daddy.”
His expression softened.
“What did you tell her?”
“That you are.”
Luca knelt beside the child.
Sofia opened her eyes.
“Are you staying?”
He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
“If you'll let me.”
She studied him for a moment.
Then she reached for his hand.
“Grandpa said you were dangerous.”
Luca smiled sadly.
“Your grandpa said a lot of things.”
“Are you dangerous?”
He looked at Elena.
Then back at his daughter.
“I can be. But I promise I'll never hurt you.”
Sofia considered this.
Then she rested her head against his shoulder.
For the first time in six years, Luca felt like he had something worth protecting that had nothing to do with power.
Hours passed.
At 4:17 in the morning, the surgeon finally emerged.
Victor had survived.
But he was unconscious.
The bullet had damaged his lung, and the doctors couldn't guarantee when he would wake up.
Luca entered the hospital room alone.
The older man lay beneath a white blanket, surrounded by machines.
For a long time, Luca simply watched him breathe.
Then he spoke.
“I don't know if I can call you Father.”
Victor didn't respond.
“I don't know if I can forgive you for staying away.”
The monitor continued its steady rhythm.
“But I want to know who I am.”
Luca placed a photograph on the bedside table.
It showed Isabella holding the newborn twins.
“Tell me the truth when you wake up.”
He turned to leave.
Then Victor's fingers moved.
Luca stopped.
The older man opened his eyes slightly.
“Luca…”
He leaned closer.
“I'm here.”
Victor struggled to speak.
“Don't trust…”
His breathing became uneven.
“Don't trust Michael.”
Luca frowned.
“Why?”
Victor's eyes widened.
“Because…”
A nurse rushed into the room.
“Sir, you need to step back.”
Victor's heart monitor began beeping rapidly.
The medical team moved in.
Luca was forced into the hallway.
He stood there for several minutes, staring through the glass.
Then Dominic approached.
“Boss, we've got news.”
“What?”
“We found Michael.”
Luca turned.
“Where?”
“At the harbor. He's alive.”
Relief briefly crossed Luca's face.
Then Dominic continued.
“He was with Rachel and Emma. They were trying to leave the country.”
“Bring him here.”
“There's a problem.”
Luca waited.
“Michael refused.”
“Why?”
Dominic handed him a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
Michael stood beside a woman Luca had never seen before.
She was holding a newborn baby.
On the back of the photograph was a message.
You have one twin. But there were three children born that night.
Luca read it twice.
“Who is she?”
Dominic shook his head.
“We don't know.”
Luca looked at the photograph again.
Then he noticed the small hospital bracelet around the baby's wrist.
The name was clearly visible.
ELENA BELLINI.
He turned toward the hospital room.
Victor had fallen unconscious again.
But someone had placed a second envelope on his bedside table.
Luca opened it.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
My son,
If you have found this letter, then you know about the twins.
But there was a third child.
Your sister.
She was taken from the hospital before sunrise, and I was told she died.
I never believed them.
I spent the rest of my life searching for her.
And I finally found her.
The letter ended with a name.
VANESSA HART.
Luca felt the world stop.
The woman he had nearly married.
The woman who had stood beside him at the altar.
The woman who had helped expose his father's crimes.
Vanessa was his sister.
Before he could process the revelation, his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A woman's voice whispered:
“Luca, don't believe everything in that letter.”
He recognized the voice immediately.
Vanessa.
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I only discovered the truth yesterday.”
Luca gripped the phone.
“Are you really my sister?”
There was a long silence.
Then Vanessa answered.
“I don't know.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had a DNA test done six months ago. The results said I was related to the Moretti family. But there was another name on the report.”
“What name?”
Her voice trembled.
“Isabella Moretti.”
Luca closed his eyes.
“Then it's true.”
“No,” Vanessa whispered.
“Luca, listen carefully. The DNA report doesn't say I'm your sister.”
He frowned.
“Then what does it say?”
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“It says I'm your mother.”
The call ended.
Luca stood motionless in the hospital corridor.
He looked through the glass at Victor.
Then at the photograph of the three newborn children.
Somewhere in the distance, Sofia began crying.
Elena was calling his name.
But Luca couldn't move.
Because the woman he had almost married might not have been his sister.
She might have been the woman who gave birth to him.
And if that was true, then the entire story of his childhood was another lie.
His phone vibrated one final time.
A message from Michael.
Brother, if Vanessa has contacted you, don't go looking for her.
She's not the person you think she is.
Then came a second message.
And neither is Elena.
Luca slowly raised his eyes.
At the far end of the corridor, Elena stood holding Sofia's hand.
She was watching him.
And she was crying.
“Luca,” she whispered.
He looked at her.
“What aren't you telling me?”
Elena closed her eyes.
Then she answered:
May you like
“Everything.”
THE END OF BOOK ONE.
