Page 13 of Beautiful Vows

“I want you to always look after your sisters. The three of you are so beautiful together, and I want you to always have that. I have some things I have to tell you before I leave.” She holds up an envelope. “This is my personal letter to my girls.”

Aurelia turns and looks at me.

“I have the letter.”

She nods and turns back to the screen when her mother speaks again.

“You’re not a secret, and one day people may come hunting you. You have two choices, but regardless of the choice you make, I want you to always look after your sisters.” Her voice breaks as she says, “You’re all...” She stammers. A ripple runs down her throat as tears roll down her cheeks. “I’m... I’m never going to cuddle my gorgeous girls again.”

I look away, unable to see the woman I loved... love in so much pain.

“Go back to them. I’ll come with you. We can keep you and the girls safe,” I say to Rory on the camera.

“You have your family now,” she says sadly as she gently shakes her head. “I’m doing this for them. This is the only way. But Aurelia needs to know her choices.”

“Okay,” I stutter through the haze of my stinging tears, and I stand behind the camera again as I listen intently as she imparts her last wishes.

“Aurelia, I entrust you with the responsibility of looking after your sisters. I want you to always cherish the bond the three of you have.”

I glance at Lia as she nods lightly. Her mother’s words have resonated deeply within her heart.

“Aurelia, you have a choice to hide from the world, and to do that, I trust Antonio and Dominic to protect you, as they have promised me. And with their help, you may never be found. I hope that is the case.” She exhales deeply. “But there’s a chance you will be thrust into this world. You might not get a choice. But if you are, this is what you need to know. You are a Moretti. You are the ring that binds the five families. But much more than that because you should be the one in the power. You are La Capa di Tutti I Capi. Unfortunately, not all those families in the Syndicate want the Moretti family being in power.”

“I thought my mother was going to Italy to beg not to be initiated with the five families,” Lia says.

I choose not to answer, but I pause the screen because I know she’s about to ask the question.

“La Capa di Tutti I Capi,” Lia whispers with narrowed eyes.

“The boss of all bosses,” I reply, not sure if it was a question or not, but I continue anyway. “Right now, there are Don’s and Syndicates all around the world. But there is no La Capa di Tutti I Capi. That honor is only for a Moretti female.”

Lia’s chest rises and falls as she stares at the screen once more.

I press play.

“Antonio Conti is your father,” she says, looking behind the camera. “He’s recording this. Only he and I are in this room. Dominic is waiting outside until I’m ready. Only the three of us and your stepfather, the man who has promised me he will look after you and your sisters, know who you are.”

“Just so you know Aurelia, I love Tony and.... I love your dad. In an ideal world, they would both be my husbands. But my world is far from ideal.”

As the video draws to a close, I remain seated, my heart heavy, knowing what is to come. The room feels different now. The crushing weight of guilt is a burden I have lived with, but I am ready to make peace.

“Who killed her?”

I meet Lia’s eyes, searching for forgiveness, but don’t find a flicker of understanding in her eyes.

As Lia stares at me, she knows only her mother and I remained in the room. “Did you kill her?”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice choking with remorse as I stare at the screen, knowing what was to come.

Footsteps sound on the video. Taps of my feet as they strike over the Italian marble floor as I place two bottles on the table in front of the camera.

“Two,” Rory says.

“One each,” I reply.

“Don’t you dare. I came here to protect my children. I need you, Dominic, and Rico alive to protect my legacy … my children.”

“I... I... I love you,” I stammer. “I can’t live without you.”

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