“Pack Your Things,” the Mafia Boss Snarled—By Midnight, His Wife Had Vanished Without a Trace
Chapter 13
A year later, Elena returned to the old mansion.
It no longer looked like a fortress.
The iron gates remained, but they stood open.
The basement had been emptied.
The surveillance equipment destroyed.
The hidden rooms were converted into offices for the family’s legal foundation.
Children from local families visited every weekend.
The Belladonna Foundation helped people whose properties had been stolen by the network.
Elena had insisted on it.
One afternoon, she found Matteo watching a group of children playing in the garden.
“You look strange.”
He glanced at her.
“Strange?”
“Happy.”
He smiled.
“I am.”
She sat beside him.
“Do you ever regret telling me to leave?”
“Every minute.”
“Even though it saved me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I should have trusted you enough to let you choose.”
Elena leaned against his shoulder.
“I chose you.”
He looked at her.
“You disappeared.”
“You sent me away.”
“I know.”
They laughed.
Then Elena became quiet.
“Do you know what scared me most that night?”
“What?”
“That you didn’t love me anymore.”
Matteo’s expression softened.
“I thought I was making the only choice that could save you.”
“You were.”
He looked at her.
“But I won’t do it again.”
Elena smiled.
“Good.”
A little girl ran across the garden.
She stopped beside Elena.
“Mrs. Belladonna?”
“Yes?”
“Is it true you disappeared?”
Elena laughed.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She looked at Matteo.
Then back at the child.
“Because sometimes people hide when they’re afraid.”
The girl frowned.
“Were you afraid?”
“Yes.”
“Did you stop being afraid?”
Elena thought about it.
“No.”
The child looked confused.
“Then how did you escape?”
Elena smiled.
“I learned that being afraid and being brave can happen at the same time.”
The girl nodded as though she understood.
Then she ran away.
Matteo watched her.
“You’d make a good mother.”
Elena looked at him.
“You’ve never said that.”
“I’ve thought it.”
She smiled.
“Then perhaps you should say what you think more often.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I’ll try.”
