A cold dread seeped into my veins. My breath hitched. “How?”
Mom’s face blazed with outrage, her lips pressing into a thin line. “She was tortured, and her body was found in the trunk of her burning car.”
“Oh, my god. Poor Madison,” I rasped, my hands flew to my chest, clutching at the fabric of my gown, desperate to soothe the sharp ache that pierced through me.
“She would still be alive if it wasn’t for me,” she choked out as tears brimmed in her eyes.
Reaching for her hand, I gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You couldn’t have known, Mom. It’s not your fault.”
We sat in silence, the weight of the revelations swirling between us. However, one question lingered, demanding an answer.
“Mom, how did Massimo findme?”
“When you were at the club, the mayor took your picture and posted it on the dark web. That’s how Massimo knew exactly who you were and started plotting to kidnap you.”
A wave of anger sweeps through me as I recall that it was Ana, Tabi’s ex-friend, who guided us to the club in the first place. I hope that she’s lying in some ditch, rotting away.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“After I woke up, I begged the agents,” she continued, her voice gaining a desperate edge, “I begged them to find you, to bring you back to me. But they refused. They told me it wasn’t safe yet.” Mom’s gaze drifted, her eyes fixed on the window.
“That’s when they told me you had been kidnapped.” She turned back to me then, her eyes swimming with tears.
“I fought like hell, baby,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I tried to convince them to change their minds, to let me go, to help me find you. But they assured me they had one of their best agents on the case, and he was working tirelessly to find you.”
“Which agent?” I asked.
“I think his name was... Enzo.”
A smile spread across my face. He genuinely cared for me and had been my protector all along.
“Once Enzo and his team were closing in on Massimo,” she continued, a faint tremor in her voice at the mention of him, “they assured me they would contact me. Without wasting time, they arranged for a private jet to bring me here.”
“I can’t believe this.” I stared at her, astonished. “Mom. Did you know that your father had a brother?”
She shook her head. “I had no idea.”
“He...he,” I broke off, recalling the suffocating darkness, the feeling of being buried alive all over again.
“I know what that monster did to you,” Mom croaked. “And I am glad that he’s dead. Otherwise, I would’ve killed him myself.”
I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around the enormity of it all, the betrayal and violence. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
The apology felt hollow and utterly meaningless in the face of so much loss.
My throat tightened, and tears streamed down my cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, my sweet girl. I should have done more to protect you from this,” Mom whispered, taking my hands in hers. “You’re safe now.”
Her gentle touch calmed my racing heart as I took a deep breath. I saw the truth in her golden-brown eyes, and I knew that together, we would overcome this. “There’s something else, Mom,” I began.
“What is it, sweetheart?” she asked, rubbing her thumb over the top of my hand.
“Aunt Valarie is alive. Your uncle kept her prisoner all those years.”
Her eyes widened, and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
“And your mom… I’m so, so sorry but she passed away.” The moment the words left my lips, I saw her shoulders sag.
