Luca stepped closer to Evelyn, his fingers trembling against the torn edge of the parchment.
"Who opened this letter, Evelyn?" he asked, his deep voice dangerously low and strained.
Evelyn did not flinch, meeting his desperate gaze with calm, sorrowful certainty.
"Three weeks ago, someone broke into my cottage in the countryside," Evelyn said softly.
A sharp, audible gasp escaped Vanessa’s lips as she took a quick step backward.
"Nothing of value was taken," Evelyn continued, keeping her steady gaze locked onto Vanessa.
"Only my personal journals from Sarah’s final months, and the second page of this letter."
Luca turned slowly toward his fiancée, his dark eyes burning with cold disbelief.
"You broke into an elderly woman’s home?" he asked, each word heavy with quiet fury.
"No, Luca, that is completely absurd!" Vanessa cried, her voice cracking in panic.
She turned abruptly toward the kitchen doors, attempting to escape into the main hallway.
Luca raised a single hand, and two armed guards instantly blocked her exit.
"You are not taking another step," Luca stated, his authority absolute.
Lily pressed herself tightly against my side, burying her face into my uniform apron.
I wrapped a protective arm around the little girl, keeping her shielded from the chaos.
"Luca, please listen to reason," Vanessa pleaded, her manicured hands shaking visibly.
"Reason died the moment you brought your lies into this house," Luca replied.
He lifted the torn scrap of paper beneath the harsh glow of the overhead pendant light.
"’Vanessa is not the name she used,’" Luca read aloud, his voice dropping into pure ice.
He stepped directly into Vanessa’s path, towering over her with unyielding intensity.
"What was your real name before you met me?" he demanded.
Vanessa swallowed hard, the polished composure she wore like armor completely disintegrating.
"Her name was Valerie Cross," Evelyn answered quietly from beside the stainless-steel counter.
Luca snapped his head toward the elderly nurse, his expression twisting in genuine shock.
"Valerie?" he whispered, searching his own memories.
"She was Sarah’s assistant at the charitable foundation eight years ago," Evelyn explained.
My heart pounded against my ribs as the dark truth finally fell into place.
"Sarah fired her after discovering she was obsessively tracking your family’s personal life," Evelyn added.
"That was in the past!" Vanessa shrieked, all of her elegant pretenses shattering instantly.
"You changed your name legally," Luca said, his voice trembling with disgusted realization.
"You altered your appearance, altered your history, and manufactured our entire courtship."
"I did it for you, Luca!" Vanessa shouted, tears of bitter rage spilling down her cheeks.
"Sarah was sick, fading away, and you needed a real woman by your side!"
"My wife was fighting to stay with her daughter," Luca growled, stepping within inches of her face.
"And you circled her like a predator waiting for her to die."
Vanessa scoffed, her expression twisting into an ugly, venomous sneer.
"Look at what I built for this family!" she hissed, pointing toward the crowded dining hall.
"Forty of the most powerful people in the city are waiting out there right now!"
"They came here to honor Lily," Luca countered, his tone void of any warmth.
"They came because of my social connections, and you know it," Vanessa spat.
She gestured wildly toward the dented metal pot sitting quietly on the island.
"Choose right now, Luca: our future in high society, or that pathetic peasant broth!"
Luca did not hesitate for even a single fraction of a second.
He reached out and caught Vanessa’s wrist in a firm, unbreakable grip.
Without a word, he pulled the four-carat diamond engagement ring from her slender finger.
"Get out of my home," Luca commanded, his voice vibrating through the kitchen walls.
Vanessa stared at her bare left hand in sheer, paralyzed disbelief.
"You cannot throw me away like garbage!" she screamed, lunging forward.
Luca stepped back and gestured toward his two security guards.
"Remove Miss Cross from the premises immediately," Luca ordered coldly.
"If she ever approaches my daughter or Evelyn again, deal with her permanently."
Vanessa shrieked and cursed violently as the two guards dragged her through the delivery doors.
The heavy metal door slammed shut, cutting off her screams and restoring profound silence.
Luca stood frozen in the center of the kitchen, staring down at the sparkling diamond.
Without another thought, he tossed the expensive ring directly into the stainless-steel trash can.
A ragged, heavy breath tore from his chest as he sank onto a nearby wooden stool.
Evelyn walked over with quiet grace and placed a comforting hand upon his slumped shoulder.
"Sarah protected you and Lily until the very end, Luca," Evelyn murmured with deep tenderness.
Lily let go of my apron and ran across the floor, throwing her arms around Luca’s neck.
"Don’t be sad, Daddy," Lily whispered softly, resting her chin on his broad shoulder.
Luca wrapped both arms around his daughter, pressing his face into her hair as tears finally fell.
He looked up at Evelyn, offering a fragile, genuine smile through his grief.
Then his gaze shifted toward me, his voice returning to a calm, steady warmth.
"Claire," Luca said gently.
"Yes, Mr. Moretti?" I replied, stepping forward with respect.
"Please inform the guests that our celebration has concluded for the evening."
"And then, bring four soup bowls to the island counter," he added softly.
I smiled, feeling the lingering chill vanish from the grand estate at last.
For the first time in five years, the Moretti house finally tasted like love again.
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