That morning, as I watched Vivien sitting across from me at breakfast, I realized how easy it was to hide the truth behind a smile.

She calmly stirred honey into her tea, as if nothing had happened.

But the night before, I had learned that she’d been pressuring Elena, a woman who had worked in our home for many years.

“Lorenzo, did you speak to your mother?” Vivien asked.

“Why?”

“She wants us to have dinner with her on Thursday. We need to discuss the wedding.”

Suddenly, the word wedding felt unfamiliar.

Three months earlier, I’d been certain Vivien was the perfect woman for me. She was smart, thoughtful, and seemed to understand all my worries.

Now I wondered whether she truly knew me—or had simply been studying me.

Behind her, Elena was putting away some tablecloths. I noticed that she carefully avoided Vivien’s gaze.

Even Mia, Elena’s young daughter, had seemed troubled lately.

Something was wrong.

And I was determined to find out what.

A little after nine, Rocco, my most trusted colleague, arrived. He joined me in the library carrying a folder.

“I reviewed the past four months,” he said. “Vivien entered the estate archives several times without your permission.”

“What was she looking for?”

“Old staff records, contracts, and documents related to the east wing.”

The east wing had been closed since my father’s death. His private office had once been there.

Rocco continued, “Vivien also made several payments to a former employee named Paolo Serra.”

I vaguely remembered him. He’d worked for my father many years ago.

“Why would she need him?”

“We don’t know yet.”

Then Rocco took out an old photograph. It showed my father standing in front of the villa with my mother and a young Arturo, our gardener.

Elena was at the edge of the picture, holding a newborn wrapped in a blanket embroidered with a tiny blue flower.

“When was this taken?” I asked.

“Before you were born.”

I was surprised. I had no idea Elena had worked for our family for that long.

On the back of the photograph, my father had written:

Keep this out of the family archives.

“Why would he want to hide it?”

Rocco shook his head.

Then he showed me a letter found in the same room. It was addressed to my father.

You promised the child would be protected. I can’t carry this secret alone anymore. If you don’t keep your word, I’ll tell your wife.

The letter wasn’t signed. There was only one initial:

E.

Unease began to settle over me.

“I need to talk to Arturo,” I said.

I found him in the greenhouse, tending to the plants. When I showed him the photograph, his expression changed.

“Do you know that child?” I asked.

He lowered his eyes.

“I know part of the story.”

“Then tell me.”

Arturo hesitated.

“Your father took Elena in when she was nineteen. She was pregnant and had nowhere safe to stay.”

I said nothing.

“He gave her a job and paid for the delivery. But not long after the baby was born, the child was placed with another family.”

“Did Elena agree to it?”

“At first, she thought it was the best choice. Then she changed her mind.”

Arturo sighed.

“When she asked for her son back, your father told her it was too late.”

“Who took the child?”

“I don’t know.”

“Was my father the baby’s father?”

Arturo met my eyes.

“I never saw any proof of that.”

I refused to jump to conclusions without knowing the truth. But one question kept troubling me:

Why was Vivien searching for those particular documents?

As I left the greenhouse, I found Elena near the laundry room. She seemed to realize I had uncovered something.

“Elena, can we talk?”

She nodded slowly.

“I’m sorry for what you went through,” I said.

She clutched a towel in her hands.

“Your father helped me when I had no one, Lorenzo. That’s why I trusted him.”

“And the baby?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“He told me my son would grow up with a family who could give him a better life. At first, I agreed.”

She paused.

“Then I realized I wanted to raise my child myself. I begged him to help me bring my son home.”

“What did he say?”

“That it was no longer possible.”

“Did you keep looking for him?”

“Every year.”

Her words shook me.

“Do you know where he is now?”

She shook her head.

“I never even learned the family’s name.”

Then I asked her about Vivien.

Elena lowered her voice.

“A few months ago, she told me she had found an old letter from your father. She said it contained information about my son.”

“Did she show it to you?”

“No. She promised to help me find him.”

“What did she want in return?”

Elena hesitated.

“She wanted me to tell your mother that I approved of your marriage and that Vivien was a wonderful person.”

My stomach tightened.

“And if you refused?”

“She said I could lose my job. She said Mia and I might have to leave the house.”

I tried to stay calm.

“Elena, you won’t lose your job for telling the truth. And no one will use Mia to pressure you.”

For the first time, I saw a little relief in her face.

“Why is Vivien so determined to marry you?” she whispered.

It was the same question I’d been asking myself for hours.

Just then, we heard small footsteps in the hallway.

Mia appeared, clutching her stuffed rabbit. She came over and took my hand.

“Uncle Lorenzo?”

I knelt beside her.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Vivien has the blue flower.”

I froze.

“What blue flower?”

Mia pointed toward the library.

“The one from Mommy’s old picture.”

I looked at Elena. Her face had gone pale.

“What photograph?” I asked gently.

Before Mia could answer, the library door opened.

Vivien stood in the doorway, holding a small, yellowed envelope.

For a few seconds, no one spoke.

Vivien looked at me, then turned to Elena.

“Lorenzo, I can explain everything.”

I didn’t answer.

My eyes were fixed on the envelope.

On the front, written in faded handwriting, was a name:

Elena.

Just below it, partly hidden by a crease in the paper, was another line.

A name I had never heard before:

Matteo Duca.

My last name.

I looked at Vivien, then at Elena.

And I realized that the secret my father had hidden might involve our family far more directly than I had ever imagined.

But who was Matteo Duca?

And why had Vivien done everything she could to find that letter before I did?

END OF PART 2

PART 3 CONTINUES IN THE FIRST COMMENT. To find out who Matteo Duca is and what secret Vivien is hiding, keep reading.