A Will Written In Blood

THE NEXT MORNING

CHAPTER 7

THE NEXT MORNING

The next morning, Mara found a second photograph hidden beneath the first. It showed her father standing outside the Santoro estate years earlier. On the back, someone had written a date and one word: **BEGINNING.** She handed it to Valerio. He stared at it for a long time. “That was the night my mother disappeared.” Mara looked up. “You said she disappeared later.” “That's what I was told.” His voice was suddenly cold. “Maybe I've been wrong about that too.”

For the first time, Valerio looked genuinely uncertain. Mara stepped closer, not because she had forgotten who he was, but because she understood the feeling of having your entire past rearranged in front of you. “We'll find her,” she said. Valerio looked at her. “You believe that?” “I believe we have to.”

He nodded. “Then stay close.” Mara raised an eyebrow. “That's an order?” “No.” His gaze held hers. “It's a request.” She had expected control from him. The request disarmed her more than an order would have.

The island suddenly felt smaller. Somewhere beyond the villa, the sea stretched endlessly, but Mara knew the real danger was no longer outside. It was the truth waiting inside the files, the secrets between two families, and the feelings neither of them had planned for.