The Woman Who Walked Through the Door
Chapter 08 - The Woman Who Walked Through the Door
Elena arrived just after sunrise in a blue sedan driven by a local social worker who had helped her locate legal assistance. Sophie saw her through the window and ran outside before the car had stopped completely.
"Elena!"
Her sister stepped onto the driveway. She was thinner than Sophie remembered, with new lines beside her mouth and a healing scar near her temple. But her eyes were unmistakable.
They held each other so fiercely that neither could speak.
"I thought I'd lost you," Sophie whispered.
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize for being alive."
Inside, Elena asked about Gabriel before anything else. Sophie showed her recent photographs and a video of him laughing during a supervised play session. Elena pressed the phone to her chest.
"Does he remember me?"
"He's little," Sophie answered gently. "But you can get to know each other again."
Elena asked to see Luca later that afternoon, with her attorney and Teresa present. When Luca entered, he stopped several feet away and waited.
"You look well," he said, then regretted it. She did not look well. She looked like someone who had spent eight months surviving.
Elena glanced toward Sophie. "You listened to her?"
"She made it impossible not to."
"I tried for months."
Luca lowered his head. "I failed you."
She didn't rush to comfort him. "Yes."
They spent two hours discussing Gabriel, what had happened at the estate, and what Elena needed before she would consider returning to New York. She wanted independent housing, legal protection, and a full account of who had threatened her. Luca agreed to the conditions without asking her to come home with him.
Before he left, Elena said, "There is one thing you still don't understand about Rocco."
Luca turned back.
May you like
"What?"
"He wasn't only stealing from the charity. He was using Gabriel's trust as collateral."
