Chapter 6 - THE PEOPLE WHO STOPPED PROTECTING HIM
Theresa Romano arrived the next morning with two overnight bags.
She was Vittorio’s older sister, fifty-two, a public-school principal in Highland Park, and one of the few people who had never been impressed by him.
“I’m staying with Lucy,” she said.
Vittorio nodded.
Theresa narrowed her eyes.
“That wasn’t a request.”
“I know.”
Lucy had slept badly.
She had wet the bed for the first time in almost a year and refused breakfast until Theresa tasted the pancakes first.
Vittorio watched from the doorway.
Consequences were quieter than revenge.
They were also harder to escape.
Theresa found him later in the kitchen.
“You hit Bianca in front of your daughter?”
“She reached for Lucy.”
“So you stopped her. Then you hit her.”
Vittorio said nothing.
Theresa folded her arms.
“You want me on your side?”
“I want you on Lucy’s.”
“Good. Because I am.”
That distinction stayed with him.
At work, the forensic accountants confirmed that Harlow Protective Services had received more than $1.8 million over eighteen months.
The mailing address belonged to a private mailbox outside Schaumburg.
Payments had increased shortly after Elena became too sick to review company books.
But David still had bad news.
“Marcus can claim you authorized everything.”
“I didn’t.”
“You gave him access under your credentials.”
Vittorio looked away.
Trust had become negligence.
That afternoon, Bianca called.
Rachel had advised him not to answer.
He did anyway.
“You threw away our future because a five-year-old had a tantrum,” Bianca said.
Vittorio almost hung up.
Then she added, “Ask Emma why she waited six months to show you Elena’s pictures.”
He looked across the foyer.
Emma had stopped walking.
Bianca knew she was there.
“How do you know about those photographs?” Vittorio asked.
Bianca did not answer.
She disconnected.
Emma’s face lost color.
“I never told her.”
Vittorio believed her.
But Theresa did not.
“Then prove it,” she said.
May you like
It was the first time Vittorio understood that neither fear nor loyalty would be enough anymore.
If he wanted his family back, evidence would have to replace obedience.
