Chapter 3 - HELENA’S STORY
Helena sat in the library beneath a painting of Carmine’s late father.
Two security guards stood outside the door.
She remained composed.
At least she tried to.
When Carmine entered, she crossed her arms.
“This is humiliating.”
Carmine closed the door.
“My son was on his knees cleaning your car.”
“Our son.”
Carmine stared at her.
Helena immediately realized her mistake.
Leo had never called her mother.
She had insisted that did not bother her.
Now the word sounded almost obscene.
Carmine remained standing.
“How long?”
Helena frowned.
“How long what?”
“How long have you been hurting him?”
Her face changed.
“I have never hurt him.”
“You starved him.”
“I corrected his behavior.”
“You put a three-year-old on a concrete floor.”
“He scratched a ninety-thousand-dollar car.”
“It was my money.”
Helena stood.
“So this is really about money?”
“No.”
“It is about my son.”
Helena laughed nervously.
“You have spent half his life away.”
Carmine’s expression hardened.
“And you were supposed to protect him while I was gone.”
“I was trying to stop him from becoming spoiled.”
“He is three.”
“You keep saying that like children don’t understand manipulation.”
Carmine studied her.
There was something different in Helena’s voice.
She was not simply defending herself.
She was trying to establish a narrative.
“You think Leo manipulates people?”
“I know he does.”
Carmine walked closer.
“Who told you that?”
Helena hesitated.
That was enough.
Carmine saw it.
“You didn’t come up with that yourself.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
Carmine took Marco’s tablet from his jacket.
He placed it on the table.
Then he pressed play.
Helena’s voice filled the room.
“The boy is almost completely under control.”
Her face went white.
Carmine watched her.
“Who were you talking to?”
Helena did not answer.
The recording continued.
“Then we move on to Carmine.”
Carmine stopped the video.
“Who?”
Helena’s lips parted.
“No one.”
“I heard a man.”
“It was television.”
Carmine stared at her.
Helena looked away.
Carmine had spent decades interrogating liars.
The skilled ones filled silence.
The frightened ones avoided it.
Helena was frightened now.
“Give me your phone.”
“No.”
Carmine extended his hand.
“Phone.”
“You cannot imprison me.”
“You are free to call the police.”
Helena looked toward the door.
Carmine continued calmly.
“But when they arrive, Dr. Russo’s report will be waiting.”
Helena froze.
Carmine extended his hand again.
“Phone.”
She slowly removed it from her pocket.
Before handing it over, she tried pressing the side button.
Carmine caught her wrist.
“What were you deleting?”
“Nothing.”
He took the phone.
Helena pulled away.
“You have no right.”
Carmine gave the device to Marco through the doorway.
“Copy everything.”
Marco nodded.
Helena’s composure cracked.
“You can’t do that.”
Carmine looked at her.
“You should have remembered who you married.”
The words frightened her.
But Carmine did not threaten her.
He did not need to.
He walked toward the door.
Helena suddenly spoke.
“Carmine.”
He stopped.
“If you start digging into this, you may not like what you find.”
Carmine turned.
“Is that supposed to scare me?”
“No.”
Helena’s eyes became colder.
“It’s supposed to warn you.”
“About what?”
“Your first wife.”
The room went silent.
Carmine’s late wife, Sofia, had died in a boating accident two years earlier.
Leo had been only ten months old.
Carmine rarely allowed anyone to mention her.
Helena knew that.
She used it anyway.
Carmine returned to the table.
“What about Sofia?”
Helena swallowed.
“You think she was perfect.”
Carmine’s eyes narrowed.
“She wasn’t.”
“What did she have to do with this?”
Helena looked directly at him.
“Everything.”
Then she smiled faintly.
“Ask yourself why Leo was the only person who survived the boat.”
Carmine became completely still.
Helena saw the question enter his mind.
May you like
And for the first time since the garage, some of her confidence returned.
Because she had just reopened the one wound Carmine Bellucci had never been able to close.
