Chapter 7 - THE BROTHER WHO NEVER LEFT MIAMI
“They told Dominic he died.”
Marco read the sentence three times.
Then he sat down heavily.
For as long as anyone could remember, Dominic Romano had been Vincent and Maria's only surviving child.
There had been rumors of another pregnancy.
A baby born prematurely.
A son who lived only a few days.
But no one spoke about him.
Not Vincent.
Not Antonio.
Not even Dominic.
Laura looked at the photograph again.
The younger boy couldn't have been an infant.
He appeared to be four or five years old.
And Dominic looked about eleven.
That meant the story of a baby dying shortly after birth was false.
“Why would a father tell his son that his little brother was dead?” Laura whispered.
Marco rubbed his face.
“Unless the boy disappeared.”
“Like Maria?”
He nodded.
Laura stared at the picture.
“Then maybe Maria wasn't trying to escape alone.”
Marco looked up.
“She was trying to take Gabriel.”
“And someone stopped her.”
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then Laura reached for her phone.
Dominic had sent seventeen messages since she'd left the hospital.
Most were short.
How are you feeling?
Did the doctor call?
Please tell me the baby is all right.
One message was different.
I know you don't want to speak to me. I'm not asking you to come home. I just need to know where to send the medication the doctor prescribed.
Laura read it twice.
For years, Dominic had responded to conflict by giving orders.
Now he was asking.
It was a small change.
Not nearly enough.
But she noticed.
She sent him the pharmacy information and told him to coordinate through Marco.
Then she added:
Our son is safe. Please respect where I've chosen to stay.
Dominic replied almost immediately.
I will.
Laura placed the phone facedown.
She wasn't ready to trust him.
But for the first time, he had respected a boundary without challenging it.
That afternoon, Marco took the photograph to an independent historical records researcher.
They avoided Dominic's employees.
They avoided anyone connected to the family.
Within hours, the researcher discovered that a child named Gabriel Romano had been enrolled at a private elementary school in Coral Gables.
He attended for two years.
Then his records were withdrawn.
The reason listed was relocation.
But the withdrawal date was November eighteenth, 1998.
The day Maria disappeared.
Laura stared at the document.
“Gabriel left with her.”
Marco nodded.
“Or someone took him that same day.”
There was another detail.
The person who signed the withdrawal form was Antonio Romano.
Marco's father.
Laura felt the pieces forming a terrible picture.
Antonio had helped Maria leave St. Agnes.
He had removed Gabriel from school.
Then he had disappeared years later.
“What was he protecting?” Laura whispered.
Marco looked exhausted.
“Maybe he was protecting them.”
“Then why come back now?”
“Because something changed.”
Laura looked down at her stomach.
“Me?”
Marco frowned.
“The baby?”
“Dominic's son is about to be born. Perhaps someone doesn't want another Romano heir.”
Marco's expression darkened.
“That would explain the attack.”
But Laura shook her head.
“No. Not all of it.”
She pointed to the photograph of Elena holding the black leather case.
“Elena was the target. The attacker was going after what she carried.”
Marco considered.
“So the records were important.”
“And Dominic chose to save the person holding them.”
Laura's voice became quiet.
“That doesn't excuse what he did. But perhaps he wasn't choosing Elena because he loved her.”
Marco nodded.
“He was choosing what she had.”
Laura looked away.
It was almost worse.
Her husband had sacrificed her safety for a secret.
Not a woman.
A secret.
That evening, Elena Varela appeared at the cottage under Marco's supervision.
Laura agreed to see her.
She wanted answers.
Elena looked different without her expensive jewelry and carefully arranged smile.
She wore dark trousers, a plain blouse, and no makeup.
A small bruise marked her wrist.
For the first time, she seemed genuinely nervous.
“Mrs. Romano.”
“Laura.”
Elena nodded.
“Laura.”
They sat across from each other.
Marco remained nearby.
Laura spoke first.
“Did you leave the blanket?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed you to find the compartment before Antonio did.”
Laura stared.
“You know Antonio?”
Elena nodded.
“He recruited me.”
Marco stepped forward.
“My father recruited you?”
“Yes.”
“For what?”
Elena looked toward Laura.
“To get close to Dominic.”
The room went still.
Laura felt a bitter laugh rise in her throat.
“So the affair was part of the plan.”
Elena lowered her eyes.
“The appearance of one.”
“Dominic knew?”
“He knew I was working to expose Salazar.”
“That wasn't my question.”
Elena hesitated.
“Yes. He agreed people could believe we were involved.”
Laura closed her eyes.
Six months.
Six months of humiliation.
And Dominic had permitted it.
“Why?” she asked.
Elena's voice softened.
“Because Salazar trusted women who appeared to have influence over powerful men.”
Laura looked at her.
“And you enjoyed it?”
Elena swallowed.
“At first, I thought it was only a role.”
“Then?”
“Then I saw what it was doing to you.”
“Yet you kept doing it.”
“Yes.”
There was no defense in her answer.
That surprised Laura.
Elena continued.
“My father worked for Salazar. He disappeared after he discovered the money flowing through Vincent Romano's old charities.”
Laura leaned forward.
“Was your father involved in trafficking?”
“He was an accountant. He helped conceal transactions before he understood what they represented.”
“And when he found out?”
“He tried to get the records out.”
Elena's voice trembled.
“He never came home.”
Laura studied her.
For the first time, Elena wasn't merely the woman Dominic had chosen.
She was another person who had lost someone to the Romano family's past.
“What's inside the black case?” Laura asked.
Elena looked at Marco.
“Records linking Vincent Romano to the trafficking network.”
“And Antonio?”
Elena hesitated.
“Antonio was trying to expose it.”
“Then why was he inside the mansion before the attack?”
“Because someone was supposed to give him a letter.”
Laura's heart quickened.
“Maria's letter?”
Elena nodded.
“But the letter was incomplete.”
“Who removed the paragraph?”
Elena looked frightened.
“I don't know.”
Marco moved closer.
“What does this have to do with Gabriel?”
Elena went pale.
“You found him?”
Laura stared.
“Found who?”
Elena looked between them.
“Gabriel Romano.”
Marco gripped the back of a chair.
“You know where he is?”
Elena nodded slowly.
“He's alive.”
Laura felt the room become impossibly quiet.
“Where?”
Elena reached inside her handbag.
She removed a newspaper clipping.
It showed a community medical clinic in Little Havana.
At the center stood a handsome man in his late thirties.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
Warm brown eyes.
He was smiling beside a group of nurses.
The headline read:
LOCAL PHYSICIAN EXPANDS FREE CARE FOR MIAMI FAMILIES.
Laura looked at the name beneath the photograph.
DR. GABRIEL MARIN.
Elena whispered, “He's been living in Miami for sixteen years.”
Marco stared.
“And Dominic never knew?”
Elena shook her head.
“Gabriel knows Dominic exists.”
Laura looked up.
“Then why hasn't he contacted his brother?”
May you like
Elena's expression changed.
“Because he believes Dominic ordered their mother killed.”
