Chapter 9 - The Reunion
The crisp autumn air carried the scent of falling leaves across the lake the following afternoon as a sleek black sedan pulled up the gravel drive of the Moretti estate.
Elena stood on the front porch beside Adrian, her heart hammering against her ribs.
The passenger door of the sedan opened slowly.
A woman in her early thirties, pale and wearing a simple woolen coat, stepped out onto the gravel. Her dark hair was cut short, and her eyes held a cautious, weary vulnerability—but as she looked up and saw Adrian standing on the porch, her expression broke.
“Adrian?” she choked out, her voice cracking.
“Lucia,” Adrian whispered.
He didn't walk down the steps; he ran. He crossed the gravel in three long strides and caught his sister in an embrace so fierce and tight it looked as though he was afraid she might vanish into thin air again.
Elena watched from the porch, a tear slipping down her cheek as she saw the two of them holding onto each other, closing a six-year wound of grief and terror.
After a long, emotional moment, Adrian pulled back, keeping his hands on his sister’s shoulders, and turned toward the porch. He gestured for Elena to come down.
Lucia turned her tear-streaked face toward Elena. Recognition flashed instantly in her dark eyes.
“You,” Lucia whispered, her voice trembling. “You’re the nurse from Saint Catherine’s. You saved my life.”
Elena walked down the steps, stopping a few feet away. “I just did my job, Lucia. I’m just glad you’re finally safe.”
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Lucia didn't answer with words. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Elena in a tight, fierce hug.
“Thank you,” Lucia sobbed softly against her shoulder. “For everything.”
