And he recognized the words accident and payment.
He did not understand everything.
But he knew enough to be frightened.
When Isabella returned, he placed the paper back inside the box.
He left the room quietly.
That night, he had another nightmare.
Only this time, he remembered something.
A conversation between his mother and Isabella.
It had happened two days before the accident.
Elena had been standing in the kitchen, holding a cup of tea.
Isabella had been speaking to her in a low voice.
Daniel had been hiding behind the staircase, waiting for his mother to finish preparing his lunch.
He remembered Elena saying:
"You have no right to interfere with my son."
And Isabella replying:
"Then perhaps you should stop interfering with my future."
At the time, Daniel had not understood.
Now he did.
The next morning, he decided to tell his father.
But Lorenzo left before breakfast.
The following day, he tried again.
Isabella interrupted them.
On the third day, he placed a note beneath Lorenzo's office door.
He wrote:
DADDY, I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT MOMMY.
Lorenzo never saw it.
Isabella found it first.
She tore the paper into small pieces and placed them inside the fireplace.
Then she visited Daniel's bedroom.
She sat beside him and brushed his hair away from his forehead.
"You know that I love you, don't you?"
Daniel said nothing.
"Your father has many problems. He worries about you. He worries about his business. We shouldn't give him more trouble."
Daniel looked at her.
"I want to talk to Daddy."
Isabella's smile remained.
"About what?"
"Mommy."
For a moment, her fingers stopped moving.
Then she leaned closer.
"Your mother is gone, Daniel."
"I know."
"Talking about her makes your father sad."
"But—"
"Do you want him to be sad?"
Daniel lowered his eyes.
"No."
"Then perhaps we should leave the past where it belongs."
She kissed his forehead.
After she left, Daniel went into the bathroom and locked the door.
He cried without making a sound.
By the time the family dinner arrived, he had decided that he would tell his father regardless of what happened afterward.
He did not know that Isabella had also prepared for that evening.
She had invited several influential members of the Moretti family, including Lorenzo's uncle, two business partners, and a senator whose political career depended on the family's financial support.
She wanted to make an announcement.
She was pregnant.
Or at least, that was what she intended everyone to believe.
She had obtained a positive pregnancy test from a private clinic and planned to use the announcement to strengthen her position within the family.
A child of her own would make her more than Lorenzo's wife.
It would make her the mother of the next generation.
She believed the Moretti family would become hers.
She was wrong.
Back in the dining room, Lorenzo stood beside the fireplace.
Isabella remained seated.
"You need to tell me what he said," she whispered.
Lorenzo turned.
"What?"
"Daniel. Whatever he told you."
"You seem very interested."
"He's a child. He gets confused."
"About what?"
She hesitated.
"His mother."
Lorenzo walked toward the table.
"Tell me about Elena."
Isabella's expression became guarded.
"What about her?"
"How well did you know her before the accident?"
"Not very well."
"How many times did you meet?"
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Answer."
Isabella folded her hands.
"Perhaps three or four times."
Lorenzo stared at her.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"Because Elena's diary contains six separate references to you."
The color drained from her face.
Lorenzo had not actually read Elena's diary in years.
But he remembered it.
It was kept in a locked drawer in his private study.
He had found it shortly after her death and never allowed anyone to touch it.
Isabella did not know whether he had discovered something.
That uncertainty was enough to make her uncomfortable.
"Darling, I think we should speak when you're calmer."
"Sit down."
"I am sitting."
"Then stay there."
Lorenzo took out his phone.
He called Marco.
"Bring Rosa to the dining room."
A brief silence followed.
"Now," he added.
He ended the call.
Isabella watched him carefully.
"You're making a mistake."
Lorenzo looked at her.
"I've made many."
"Don't do this."
"Do what?"
"Destroy your marriage because a child misunderstood something."
He said nothing.
She leaned forward.
"Daniel has been struggling for years. You know that. He sees his mother everywhere. He dreams about her. He sometimes believes she's still alive."
"Who told you that?"
"The doctor."
"Which doctor?"
Isabella blinked.
"The one we hired."
"His name."
She hesitated again.
Lorenzo noticed.
He always noticed.
Before she could answer, the dining room doors opened.
Marco entered with Rosa.
The older woman looked confused.
"Sir?"
Lorenzo pointed toward a chair.
"Sit down."
Rosa remained standing.
Her eyes moved from Lorenzo to Isabella.
Then she looked at the empty chair where Daniel had been sitting.
"Where is the boy?"
"Upstairs."
"Is he safe?"
Lorenzo studied her face.
"Why wouldn't he be?"
Rosa's lips parted.
She looked at Isabella.
The younger woman gave her a warning glance.