Chapter 8 - SEEDS OF DOUBTBack at the estate that night, Dante's words echoed endlessly in my mind. Was Antonio hiding something from me? Was I sleeping under the roof of the man whose father had murdered my mother?
Determined to find the truth, I waited until the corridors went quiet at 2:00 AM. Using a hairpin I had kept from my shift at Bellarosa, I picked the lock to Vito Russo’s private archive room in the basement. The air was thick with the scent of old paper and leather.
I searched through dust-covered filing cabinets until I found a metal box marked 1998 - SPECIAL PROJECTS. Inside was a worn, leather-bound journal written in fine Italian calligraphy—Vito Russo’s personal diary.
I flipped to the final entries, my fingers trembling. The entry dated three days before my mother's disappearance read:
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September 14: The Morettis are closing in. To keep my beloved Clara and little Sophie safe, I must execute the ultimate deception. I have asked young Antonio to deliver the sealed order to the border guards tonight. If I fall, Antonio must carry this secret to his grave. If anyone discovers the truth, Antonio will be marked as the executioner.
I gasped, dropping the book. A shadow suddenly fell across the threshold. I turned around to see Antonio standing in the doorway, his silhouette blocking the light.
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