Chapter 14 - Matteo’s Letter
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Dominic did not open the letter immediately.
“It’s addressed to Matteo.”
Vivienne laughed bitterly.
“He’s dead.”
“That doesn’t make it mine.”
Jonathan arrived and advised that the letter could be opened as part of Matteo’s estate records with Vivienne’s consent.
She refused.
Then changed her mind.
“Open it.”
Dominic looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because I’m tired.”
It was the first honest thing she had said all night.
Jonathan carefully opened the envelope.
Elena’s letter was short.
Matteo,
I’m writing because I think your wife is acting without you.
If I’m wrong, burn this.
If I’m right, please tell Dominic the truth.
I am not asking for money.
I am not trying to take anything from your children or your future.
Maisie is Dominic’s daughter.
She deserves to know her father.
And Dominic deserves the chance to decide what kind of father he wants to be.
Below that was a handwritten reply.
Matteo had answered.
Dominic recognized his brother’s handwriting immediately.
Elena,
Vivienne never told me any of this.
I will speak to Dominic when he returns.
Do not sign anything.
Do not leave without calling me.
—M.
Dominic stared.
There was a second note.
Different date.
Three days later.
Elena—
I can’t reach you.
Vivienne says you left voluntarily.
I don’t believe her.
Call me.
M.
Dominic slowly looked at Vivienne.
“You lied to him too.”
Vivienne said nothing.
Matteo had known something was wrong.
But his father’s health collapsed that same month.
Then business crises followed.
Within weeks, Elena vanished completely.
Matteo apparently kept looking quietly.
Jonathan discovered an old investigator invoice from his personal accounts.
Matteo had hired someone to locate Elena.
The search ended after her death.
Why had he never told Dominic?
There was one final note in the envelope.
Not to Elena.
To Dominic.
Dom,
I think Vivienne did something stupid involving Elena.
I don’t know how bad yet.
Let me figure it out before Dad gets dragged into another war.
I’ll tell you when I know.
Matteo never did.
Years later, he died in a boating accident unrelated to any of this.
The truth died with him.
Except Vivienne had kept the letter.
Why?
She stared at Dominic.
“I couldn’t burn his handwriting.”
There it was.
The smallest piece of humanity left in her.
It did not erase anything.
But it explained why the evidence survived.
Vivienne sat down.
“I thought I was protecting him.”
Dominic looked at his brother’s note.
“No.”
He folded it carefully.
“You were protecting the version of him you invented.”
Vivienne began crying.
Dominic felt no victory.
Then Jonathan’s phone rang.
He listened.
His expression sharpened.
“The court wants an emergency hearing tomorrow morning.”
“For what?”
“Permanent trustee suspension.”
Vivienne looked up.
Jonathan continued.
“And the district attorney’s office requested the complete file.”
Her face went pale.
Financial consequences were ending.
Criminal ones were beginning.
May you like
👉 Matteo’s own words had destroyed Vivienne’s last excuse—and now she would have to answer for what she did outside the protection of the Castellano family.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
