Chapter 27
"Sophia!" Elena sobbed, her voice breaking into a ragged, desperate cry as she reached out with trembling arms.
Sophia blinked through the dim light. The harrowing memories of the shattered window and the ambush dissolved in an instant. The little girl wiggled free from Maya’s embrace and scrambled across the floor, throwing herself into her mother’s chest. "Mommy! Mommy!"
Elena gathered her daughter into her arms, pulling her tight against her chest as wracking sobs shook her frame. She kissed Sophia’s forehead, her cheeks, and her tangled curls a hundred times over, weeping uncontrollably as if trying to stitch their shattered lives back together in a single embrace.
Dante remained standing by the open doorway, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw rigid as he watched the reunion in silence. Maya stood beside him, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Eventually, Elena looked up. Her red-rimmed eyes moved past Dante and locked directly onto Maya.
"Maya Bennett," Elena whispered, her voice hoarse.
Maya’s breath caught in surprise. "You... you know who I am?"
A sad, bittersweet smile touched Elena’s lips as she stood up, cradling Sophia securely. "I have watched you for months, Maya. I sat in Bellanote twice a week. I saw how you treated the busboys, how you worked double shifts, and I learned about your dream of buying Sweet Haven Bakery... That receipt Sophia had—I slipped it into the pastry box myself before I vanished."
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Dante stepped forward, closing the door behind him. "Why her, Elena? Why drag an innocent waitress into this?"
"Because I knew Luca was closing in!" Elena cried out, looking at Dante with fierce defiance. "I knew your empire was rotting from the inside! If they killed me, your house was full of killers and thieves. None of them would protect Sophia's soul. I investigated Maya. I saw her warmth, her strength, her absolute decency. I left that receipt praying that if Sophia fell into darkness, fate would lead her to the only person who could bring her back."
