rise, unable to forget t

than you think. Don

state knew about her mother'

o the corridor, determined to explo

of the hallway remained e

re she discovered a smaller corridor lined with old pain

osit

ide a bookshelf, and heavy curtains blocked most of the morning

stepped

It showed a younger Dante standing

ther,

icing a second photog

eath c

a Mo

ame woman, both smiling as if

, someone h

Never forget what we

s fingers

have a photograph i

all wooden box. It was locked, but i

brass key fro

f

click, the

l old receipts, and a document bea

was address

nfolded it

en

ment we signed in 2008 must never fall into the wrong hands. Vital

ho benefits fr

as no s

a read

the photograph from Florence. Whatever had happened t

he letter int

rd creaked

sting r

a spun

od in the

fying second,

ze fell to

did yo

thi

abe

sed to my mother. Why

ok the paper from her hand

his expressi

d you fin

er left

uld have

uld hide this r

ed up s

o my mother. Elena wa

tion stunn

s friends wit

es

did nobody

w things that could get

the letter

ment from 2008 mean?

ow everythi

ing your favo

ignore

find anyt

eipts and the document

N

, and they b

ed the lette

nto this room

to decide wha

tell you that some truths are dang

ides when I'

t her for a

aside, allowin

lla locked the door and ex

companies connected to the Moretti and De Luca fa

om, someone

- final tra

h had occurred ar

the documents to their original place. She couldn'

ey around a thin chain and

derstood why her mother ha

had open

connection between two families, a secret agreement, and a name t

ndro V

toward the loc

protecting her

protecting the

ait for permission to discover wh