Chapter 4 - The Debt
I stared at the medical receipt, the letters blurring together.
“My father died six years ago,” I whispered. “He had a heart attack. He didn't have health insurance. The hospital turned him away.”
Luca frowned. “This receipt is for a private cardiology clinic. It’s for a bypass surgery. Paid in cash.”
“He never had surgery.” My hands shook. “He died in our living room. We couldn't afford the ambulance.”
Luca’s dark eyes narrowed. “Then who was treated under your father’s name?”
Before I could process the question, a loud crash echoed from the kitchen.
Luca and I rushed down the hall.
Teresa was on her knees on the tile floor, picking up pieces of a broken ceramic bowl. Duke was standing awkwardly beside her, his tail tucked, looking guilty.
“Mom, don't touch the glass,” Luca said, stepping forward.
“He slipped,” Teresa said, her voice trembling. “He was trying to get to his water bowl, and his back legs just gave out. He knocked the bowl off the counter.”
I quickly grabbed a broom and swept the pieces away. Luca knelt beside the old dog, gently massaging his stiff hips. Duke leaned heavily against him, letting out a weary sigh.
“We need to put rugs down,” Luca said softly. “Over all the tile and hardwood. He needs traction.”
“Vanessa threw them all out,” Teresa said quietly. “She said they looked cheap.”
“I’ll buy new ones today.” Luca kissed his mother’s forehead. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” Teresa looked at the piece of paper in my hand. “What is that?”
Luca hesitated, then handed it to her. “Mom, do you recognize this clinic?”
Teresa put on her reading glasses. As she read the name, her face paled.
“The Northside Heart Institute,” she whispered.
“Yes,” Luca said. “Dad paid them forty thousand dollars six years ago for a surgery Hannah’s father never received. Do you know why?”
Teresa looked away. She carefully took off her glasses and folded them.
“Mom.” Luca’s voice was gentle but firm. “What aren't you telling me?”
Teresa reached down and stroked Duke’s head. “Your father made me swear never to talk about it.”
“Dad’s gone. And Vanessa is trying to take Hannah’s son away. I need to know.”
The old woman let out a long, shaky breath. “The surgery wasn't for Hannah’s father. It was for Vanessa’s father.”
Luca froze. “What?”
“Marcus Bellini had a massive heart attack six years ago,” Teresa explained, her voice barely a whisper. “He needed a highly experimental surgery, but the Bellini family was under federal investigation. Their assets were frozen. They couldn't pay.”
“So Dad paid for it,” Luca concluded.
“Yes. But Frank couldn't have a known mob boss linked to him financially. So he used a fake name at the clinic. He used the name of a man who had died that very morning in a tenement building he owned.”
My breath caught in my throat. “My father.”
Teresa looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Frank owned your building, Hannah. He heard about your father’s passing. He used his identity to save Marcus Bellini.”
I felt sick. My father died because he was poor. And his name was used to save the life of a wealthy criminal.
“Why did Dad have a picture of Leo in the watch?” Luca asked.
“Because Frank felt guilty,” Teresa said. “He kept tabs on Hannah’s family. He made sure her rent was always paid. When little Leo was born, Frank took that picture from a neighborhood bulletin board. He wanted to make sure you two were safe.”
Luca ran a hand through his dark hair. “If Dad paid for Marcus’s surgery, the Bellini family owed us. Not the other way around.”
“Exactly,” Teresa said. “Vanessa has been lying. Her father owes his life to ours.”
The front door chimed.
I walked to the foyer and opened the door.
Vanessa was standing there, flanked by two large men in dark suits.
She wasn't smiling.
“I told you I wasn't leaving quietly, Hannah,” Vanessa said.
She held up a heavy, gold-plated ring. A signet ring.
“This was Frank Moretti’s,” Vanessa said, looking past me as Luca entered the hallway. “And before he died, he gave it to my father as collateral.”
May you like
Luca stopped. “Collateral for what?”
Vanessa smirked. “For the title to this house, Luca. Your father signed the deed over to us before he died. If you don't marry me, I own the Moretti estate. And I’m going to bulldoze this place to the ground.”
