Chapter 7: The Man Who Betrayed the Family
“Marco.””
Ricardo said the name like it burned his mouth.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The apartment was filled with the sound of alarms, shattered glass, and the distant shouting of security downstairs.
But Ricardo heard none of it.
His entire world had narrowed down to one piece of paper.
One name.
The man who had stood beside him for fifteen years.
The man who had held Leo when he was born.
The man Sarah trusted enough to bring her son to.
The man who had just taken him.
I watched Ricardo’s fingers tighten around the note.
“Where would he take him?””
Nobody answered.
His guards looked terrified.
Not because Leo was missing.
Because Ricardo Moretti was no longer in control.
And everyone in the room could feel it.
“Find him,” Ricardo ordered.
His voice was low.
Dangerously calm.
Every guard immediately moved.
Phones came out. Orders were given. Cars were prepared.
But I couldn’t move.
My mind kept replaying everything.
Sarah’s warning.
The voicemail.
Leo saying Marco brought his mother.
The necklace.
The secrets.
I looked at Ricardo.
“You knew something was wrong with Marco.””
He didn’t deny it.
“I suspected.””
I laughed bitterly.
“You suspected?””
His eyes turned toward me.
“I didn’t know.””
“But you trusted him.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
Ricardo looked away.
“Yes.””
For the first time, he admitted weakness.
And somehow that scared me more.
“Sarah knew,” I whispered.
Ricardo’s expression changed.
“She knew something.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“She knew enough to leave.””
He looked at me.
“She loved you.””
The sentence surprised both of us.
I looked down.
“You don’t know that.””
“Yes, I do.””
His voice softened.
“Because she talked about you.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Ricardo looked toward the window.
“After Leo was born, Sarah told me about her sister who would call her every morning just to make sure she ate breakfast.””
I swallowed.
“She told me you were the only person who never wanted anything from her.””
My eyes burned.
All these months, I thought I lost my sister.
But maybe I had lost her long before.
Because she had been fighting a war I knew nothing about.
A phone rang.
One of the guards answered.
Then immediately handed it to Ricardo.
“Boss.””
Ricardo pressed it against his ear.
“Talk.””
A distorted voice came through.
“Ricardo.””
My blood froze.
Marco.
Ricardo’s face became emotionless.
“Where is my son?””
A laugh.
“You still think this is about your son.””
“Where is Leo?””
“He’s safe.””
“Let me speak to him.””
A pause.
Then a small voice.
“Daddy?””
Ricardo closed his eyes.
“Leo.””
The relief on his face lasted only a second.
“Are you hurt?””
“No.””
The little boy sounded scared.
“Uncle Marco says Mommy is coming.””
Ricardo’s grip tightened.
“Leo, listen to me. Stay away from him.””
Marco took the phone back.
“You hear that?””
Ricardo said nothing.
“He still thinks he can protect everyone.””
“Marco.””
The entire room went silent.
Ricardo’s voice dropped.
“If you touch my son—”
“What?””
Marco interrupted.
“You’ll kill me?””
A bitter laugh.
“You think that scares me?””
Ricardo stared at the floor.
“Why?””
The question surprised me.
Not what.
Why.
“Why would you do this?””
Marco was silent.
Then he answered.
“Because Sarah found out what you did.””
I looked at Ricardo.
His expression changed.
“What are you talking about?””
“You really don’t remember?””
Marco’s voice became colder.
“The night of the explosion.””
Ricardo froze.
“You weren’t the target, Ricardo.””
A pause.
“Sarah was.””
The call ended.
Nobody spoke.
I turned toward Ricardo.
“What does he mean?””
Ricardo didn’t answer.
“Ricardo.””
He looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something I had never seen before.
Guilt.
“I don’t remember everything from that night.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
“There was an explosion. I woke up in the hospital.””
He swallowed.
“Sarah was gone.””
I stepped back.
“You never told me.””
“You didn’t ask.””
The answer hurt.
Because it was true.
I had spent my life believing Ricardo Moretti was the monster.
But monsters didn’t always look like monsters.
Sometimes they looked like broken men hiding memories they couldn’t face.
A guard rushed into the room.
“Boss.””
Ricardo turned.
“We found Marco’s location.””
“Where?””
The guard hesitated.
“An old Moretti warehouse.””
Ricardo grabbed his jacket.
I followed.
He stopped.
“You stay here.””
I stared at him.
“Absolutely not.””
“Clara.””
“He has my sister. He has Leo. I’m coming.””
“This isn’t safe.””
I stepped closer.
“Neither is losing everyone you love because you think you can carry everything alone.””
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he handed me a weapon.
I looked at it.
“I don’t know how to use this.””
“You won’t need to.””
His eyes met mine.
“But keep it.””
As we walked toward the waiting cars, I looked at the necklace around my neck.
The key hidden inside.
Sarah had left me a path.
And I was finally following it.
But when we arrived at the warehouse, one thing became clear.
May you like
Marco wasn’t hiding.
He was waiting.
