CHAPTER 6
1528 Words
Echoes of a Father’s Words and the Song we’ll Play Again
Bruno got into the lifeless house that night following the burial. Each room felt huge, reverberating with echoes of laughter and warmth that were now distant memories. Silence pressed against him like a weight.
Attracted by an inexplicable force, he ended up at the door of his father's study. It had been locked for years, and Bruno was never permitted inside. The knob, however, turned smoothly tonight as if it had been waiting for him.
His name was written in his father's bold handwriting on an envelope that was on the desk:
"For Bruno— When I'm Gone." His dad wrote.
Bruno tore it open with trembling hands. His father's words were powerful and well-considered:
"My child, if you're reading this, I'm gone. I must tell you the truth that I have long kept secret. Rafael Cortez is more than a rival; he is the boss of a mob. I used to be a member of the mafia, but I opted out in exchange for your freedom as long as I never told you who killed your mother. Your mother found evidence of his crimes and paid the price for it. I concealed this from you to protect you, but now you must choose: remain silent and protected, or bear the burden of the truth."
The letter went on:
"Inside your mother's guitar, Gloria, is what we risked everything for. Look underneath the soundboard, where the wood feels different. You will uncover her last recording, as well as locations of papers she hid away. They were the reason Rafael murdered her. They're the reason she died."
Bruno's breath caught. He dropped the letter and ran upstairs to find his mother's guitar. Gloria's newly polished body glowed faintly in the dim lighting. For the first time, he was looking for his mother's favorite instrument, rather than simply admiring it.
His fingertips tapped the wood, revealing a hollow place. With shaking hands, he pushed it open.
Inside, covered with a layer of cloth:
He noticed a tiny cassette with the words "For My Son" written in his mother's handwriting.
Bruno unwrapped it slowly, his eyes widening as he watched numerous recordings showing the locations of offshore accounts, coded names, bribes, and financial ledgers. The audio and video recordings of Rafael's secret empire.
At the Last Scene, She said:
"Rafael Cortez is dangerous. He hides behind corporations and attorneys, but his actual empire is blood. I uncovered his secret records--he wanted to silence me, and if he succeeds, I urge you not to let him silence you as well."
The tape clicked, rewound, and ended.
Maria had left behind the very evidence that Rafael and his mafia gang had tried to erase.
Bruno's hands trembled. The coincidence was amazing. The guitar not only functioned as a safe for the evidence that had previously exposed Rafael's links to his mother's death and landed him in prison, but it also contained the truth that had the ability to completely destroy him and his mafia empire.
Gloria wasn't simply a family heirloom. It was also a vault for justice.
Bruno's eyes welled up with tears as he held Gloria and the cassette to his chest, feeling closer to his parents than he had ever been. His mother hadn't died quietly. She had left him the keys to finish what she had begun.
But then -
A squeak.
Steps sounded outside the house. A shadow moved along the barrier.
Bruno's breath caught. The mafia already knew.
They weren't only after him anymore. They were after Gloria.
Bruno's chest clenched. Tears obscured his vision.
And suddenly he realized something. Gloria, his mother's guitar and loyal companion, had now delivered "two victories" against Rafael Cortez. First, the videotape from a hidden camera in her hollow frame revealed Rafael's crime and landed him in jail. And now, unbelievably, she revealed another secret: a cassette with his mother's voice directing him to incriminating documents capable of ruining the mafia empire he had built.
It was as if Gloria had been his mother's ultimate fighter, revealing the truth after years of silence.
However, outdoors, the shadows were already moving.
Through the window, Bruno caught sight of two black men slipping past the fence. A block away a car idled, headlights turned off.
Bruno's thoughts were no longer solely on justice. He was thinking about survival. If they got their hands on Gloria tonight, everything - his mother's voice, her sacrifice, the evidence - would be gone forever.
He tightened his grip on the guitar.
It was about protecting the final string that linked him to his mother, as well as the truth that had the potential to ruin Rafael Cortez's empire permanently.
A shout erupted. Flashlights cut through the darkness. Bruno rushed barefoot across the yard, hunched low, as a gunshot boomed behind him. He rushed into the trees, his breath raspy, and grabbed Gloria like a lifeline.
He raced for hours till the lights went out and the night became calm again. By the time dawn came, he had passed out on the doorway of an elderly family lawyer who his father had previously trusted.
"Help me," Bruno shouted out, pressing the proof forward. "This… this is what they killed her for." He said.
Days turned into weeks as the documents were scrutinized, authenticated, and safeguarded under legal supervision. This time the mafia threatened and offered to bribed them, but Bruno was not alone. He took the stand, accompanied by his lawyers.
The courtroom was packed when Bruno testified. His shaking hands rested on Gloria, who sat proudly next to him as a mute witness.
His mother's voice reverberated around the room as the cassette was played for the jury, accusing Rafael Cortez and his enterprise from beyond the grave.
The information sealed the case by disclosing Rafael's offshore accounts and financial statements, which traced Company embezzlement proceeds. Contracts that were signed but were not authentic. Rewards for judges and politicians. The names of every accomplice he had ever worked with, men who had previously been concealed in the shadows nevertheless were suddenly brought to light.
This wasn’t just Rafael’s trial anymore. It was the trial of an entire syndicate.
Bruno's gaze scanned the room. Some of Rafael's men gazed at him with disdain, but he did not move. He had survived their blades, bombs, and the darkness. And now he was flashing a light so bright that they couldn't escape.
When the gavel finally fell and the decision was read—"Guilty on all counts, for Rafael Cortez and his accomplices"—Bruno closed his eyes and let the weight of years slide off his shoulders. Rafael and his men were condemned to life in prison with hard labor.
Justice wasn't just about him anymore. It was for his father, mother, and all the innocent people killed by Rafael's empire.
Gloria carried the truth through it all. The guitar was composed of more than just wood and strings. She was memory. She was the voice. She was a weapon. She had vanquished Rafael Cortez twice and was now dismantling his entire empire.
Bruno felt her music with quiet triumph as he gently strummed her strings.
The past was avenged. The future was his to play.
Bruno moved out onto the crowded courthouse steps, Gloria strapped to his back. Reporters yelled questions and cameras flashed, but it didn't matter immediately he saw her.
He called out, "Catherina".
Her eyes welled up with tears as she pushed through the chaos and put her arms around him.
Bruno forgot about the agony, the challenges, and the years of shadows for a time, instead focusing on her warmth, the sound of her voice, and the promise they'd always shared.
"I knew you'd make it," she said, clutching his shirt as if she couldn't let go.
"I only made it because I kept hearing your voice," Bruno explained, his chest constricting. "Every time I wanted to give up... I remember you saying you'd be waiting."
She grinned through the tears. "And I still will" . She said.
She continued, "But, Bruno, you know I have to complete this path. I promised myself I'd become a lawyer. To fight as your mother did, but using the law."
Bruno nodded in agreement.
He knew it was coming. She would depart for university in another city to pursue her passion, while he would pursue his through music. They would be divided but not broken.
Gloria sat between them, her polished wood glistening in the sunlight, a reminder of what they had been through. The guitar had spoken for the dead twice before, and now she testified to the promise of life.
Bruno carefully strummed a chord, and they both hummed the song they had written as children. Their voices blended to create a symphony that hushed everyone around them. It was more than simply a song; it was a promise.
They would take separate journeys. They'd grow, fall, and rise. However, when the moment was right, their paths will cross again.
This is because certain melodies are never forgotten. And theirs was just the start.
- Writer
