Chapter 5 - Nursing the Flame
The private medical wing of the Moretti estate was locked down like a fortress.
Four top-tier physicians, handpicked by Dominic and sworn to absolute secrecy, worked around the clock for forty-eight hours. Sofia was severely malnourished, suffering from vitamin deficiencies and muscle atrophy, but miraculously, her organs were undamaged. Bellamy had kept her alive—not out of mercy, but because he needed her alive to legally transfer the Moretti family continuity trust once Vincent remarried.
By Friday afternoon, soft winter sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the master bedroom.
Sofia sat propped up against a mountain of plush pillows, wearing a soft cream cashmere sweater. Her hair had been washed and brushed, glowing in the sunlight. Though she was still thin, color was slowly returning to her high cheekbones.
Vincent sat in an armchair right beside her bed, holding her hand. He hadn't left the room in two days. He had showered and changed, but his eyes were constantly fixed on her face, as if terrified that if he blinked, she would vanish again.
Sofia leaned her head against his shoulder, her fingers intertwined with his.
“Isabella came to see me three years ago,” Sofia said softly, her voice growing stronger with every passing hour. “She pretended to be a friend. She said she was working with Charles to help clear some legal complications with our foundation in Italy.”
Vincent’s jaw set, but he didn't interrupt.
“She invited me to tea at that small cafe near the river,” Sofia continued, looking down at their joined hands. “I drank half a cup. Within ten minutes, I couldn't move my legs. Charles was waiting in a van behind the kitchen. They carried me out through the service door. Charles told me... he told me you had found someone younger, someone who wouldn't ask questions about your business operations.”
“I never looked at another woman, Sofia,” Vincent whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “Not for a single second. When you vanished... I felt like half my soul was dragged into the dirt.”
“I knew he was lying,” Sofia smiled weakly, raising her hand to touch Vincent’s cheek. “Because Charles offered me a deal on the second week. He brought me papers to sign—documents transferring my share of the shipping empire to a holding company in the Cayman Islands. He said if I signed them, he’d drop me off at a train station in Canada and let me live.”
Vincent’s eyes burned with cold rage. “And you refused?”
“Of course I refused,” Sofia said, a sudden spark of her old, fiery spirit flashing in her eyes. “I told him I’d rather rot in that basement than give him a single penny that belonged to my husband. I knew if I signed, he’d kill us both anyway. So I waited.”
She paused, looking toward the bedroom door. “Where is the little girl?”
Vincent smiled—a real, genuine smile that hadn't touched his face in three years. “She’s downstairs in the conservatory with her mother. She’s currently eating her third chocolate muffin.”
“Bring her to me,” Sofia requested gently. “I want to see the girl who saved my life.”
Five minutes later, Grace Carter walked into the master suite, pushing a shy Emily before her.
Emily wore a brand-new yellow dress that Vincent’s staff had purchased for her, her eyes wide as she looked around the grand bedroom.
The moment Sofia saw Emily, her eyes filled with tears. She extended her arms. “Hello, little castle builder.”
Emily’s face lit up with immediate recognition. She ran across the plush carpet, stopping right beside the bed, looking up at Sofia with absolute wonder.
“You’re not dead,” Emily said plainly.
Sofia laughed—a rich, melodic sound that warmed every corner of the vast room. “No, sweetheart. Thanks to you, I am very much alive.”
Sofia reached out and pulled the little girl into a gentle hug. She looked over Emily’s shoulder at Grace, who stood weeping softly near the doorway.
“Grace,” Sofia said, her voice filled with quiet authority. “You hid that phone for three years because you were afraid. But when it mattered most, you raised a daughter who has more courage than anyone in this house. You will never have to be afraid of anything ever again.”
Grace nodded, wiping her eyes. “Thank you, Mrs. Moretti.”
Sofia pulled back from the hug and reached under her pillow. She pulled out a small, velvet box that Vincent had brought up from his safe an hour earlier.
She opened it, revealing a delicate gold bracelet set with three small, sparkling diamonds.
“For building castles,” Sofia said, slipping the bracelet onto Emily’s wrist.
Emily stared at the sparkling jewelry, then looked up at Sofia with a giant grin. “It’s way better than a white rose.”
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Sofia looked at Vincent, their eyes locking in a shared, profound moment of complete understanding.
The winter dark was finally passing.
