The mafia boss’s fiancée tore the black mourning ribbon from his maid’s apron and denied her the chance to say goodbye to her dying mother—but when Luca discovered his fiancée had stolen the $12,000 he sent for her mother’s treatment, her shocking confession revealed a secret he had desperately hoped would never come to light.

I didn't sleep that night.

Luca arranged for me to stay in the guest wing, but I locked the door and sat on the edge of the bed until dawn.

My mother had been the center of my world.

She had worked two jobs when I was young. She had skipped meals so I could eat. She had taught me to sew, to mend a torn hem, and to keep a little money hidden in case life became difficult.

She had never told me that Giovanni Moretti was my father.

At seven the next morning, Luca knocked gently.

“Grace? May I come in?”

I opened the door but didn't invite him inside.

He held a small envelope.

“I found this in my father's study after he died. It was addressed to your mother.”

I stared at it.

The handwriting was old-fashioned and familiar from the few notes my mother had kept in a box.

“Why do you have it?”

“Because I recognized her name. I didn't know what to do with it at the time.”

He placed it on the small table by the door.

“I should have told you when I first found out.”

“When was that?”

“Four months ago.”

I looked at him.

“Four months?”

He nodded.

“My father's attorney contacted me after discovering a sealed file. It included your mother's name, a copy of your birth certificate, and a letter from my father.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Your mother asked him not to contact you until she was ready. The letter said she wanted you to have a life that wasn't shaped by the Moretti name.”

“She was dying. She couldn't have been waiting for the right time.”

“I know.”

I picked up the envelope.

Inside was a letter dated twenty-seven years earlier.

Giovanni wrote that he loved Elena, but he was unwilling to leave his family or the business. He promised to support her and the child. He wrote that he would never publicly acknowledge the baby because doing so would expose Elena to people who might use her against him.

At the bottom, he had signed his name.

I read it again.

Then I sat down.

“He knew about me.”

“Yes.”

“He knew I existed, and he never came.”

Luca's voice was low.

“He sent money for a while. My father kept records. But the payments stopped when you were very young.”

“Why?”

“I don't know yet.”

I pressed the letter flat against my knees.

“My mother never wanted his money.”

“She didn't want you to grow up believing you had to earn someone's love.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

Luca remained by the door.

“I won't ask you to forgive him. And I won't ask you to call me your brother until you're ready.”

I looked up.

“Did you know when you approved the twelve thousand dollars?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you pay?”

He took a breath.

“Because I found out my father had another daughter. Because I wanted to help your mother. Because I thought I could give her something he had failed to give her.”

“You thought money could repair twenty-seven years?”

“No.”

He looked at the floor.

“I thought it might keep her alive long enough for me to tell you the truth.”

That hurt more than I expected.

“Did you ever meet her?”

“No. She refused to see me.”

I folded the letter.

“She was protecting me.”

“I believe so.”

I placed it back in the envelope.

“I need time.”