Chapter 2 - The Interrogation in the Study
The heavy oak doors of Dante’s private study closed with a thud that sounded like a coffin lid.
The study smelled of old leather, cigar smoke, and heavy mahogany polish. Afternoon light filtered through the tall stained-glass windows, casting deep crimson and gold shadows across the Persian rug.
Sarah Mitchell stood in the center of the room, clutching Lily tightly against her chest. Her body was shaking violently.
Dante sat behind his massive carved desk, the silver swallow necklace resting on the dark blotter between them.
He didn't speak for a long time. He simply stared at Sarah—at the desperate, hunted look in her eyes, at the way her arms wrapped around the child like a shield.
"Where did you get this?" Dante asked. His voice was lower than a whisper, yet it vibrated through the silent room like thunder.
"It... it belonged to my sister," Sarah stammered, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "It was all she had left when she died."
Dante leaned forward, placing both hands flat on the desk. "Your sister's name was Elena Carter."
Sarah gasped, her knees nearly giving out. She held Lily tighter, burying the little girl's face against her shoulder.
"She didn't die in the fire, did she?" Dante whispered, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched beneath his dark stubble. "Tell me the truth, Sarah. If you lie to me once... just once... you will never see the sun again."
Sarah swallowed hard, her chest heaving as she fought for breath.
"Elena didn't die in the cottage fire four years ago," Sarah confessed, her voice breaking. "She survived. But she was severely injured. She hid in a small clinic in upstate New York... under an assumed name."
"And the baby?" Dante stood up, his tall frame looming over the desk.
Sarah looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of terror and fierce protection.
"Elena gave birth to Lily three weeks after the fire," Sarah said. "She lived for six months after that... just long enough to nurse her and make sure she was strong. Before Elena took her last breath, she gave me Lily and this necklace. She made me swear on her grave that I would never bring this child near you."
Dante felt as though a blade had been driven directly into his heart.
May you like
"Why?" Dante demanded, his eyes burning. "Why would Elena hide my daughter from me?!"
"Because she knew who set the fire, Mr. Moretti!" Sarah cried out, no longer able to restrain her grief. "She knew it wasn't an accident! She knew someone inside your own inner circle wanted her and the baby dead! She begged me to protect Lily from the Moretti bloodline!"
