Chapter 3 - Ghosts of the Castellano Estate
Within the hour, the upper floor of the Castellano mansion was a storm of urgent activity. A private family doctor, hastily summoned from the city, was tending to Evelyn in the master bedroom across the hall, checking her vitals, hydrating her, and administering emergency glucose.
Raffaele sat on the edge of the hallway sofa, his head in his hands. Leo was downstairs with Anna, who was feeding the boy hot cocoa and trying to shield him from the lingering tension in the air.
The door to the master bedroom clicked open, and Dr. Harrison stepped out, closing it softly behind him. He looked grave.
"How is she, Doctor?" Raffaele asked, rising immediately to his feet.
"Physically, it’s a miracle she survived," Dr. Harrison said, adjusting his glasses. "Severe malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, muscle atrophy from lack of movement, and profound psychological trauma. But her organs are functioning. She has an astonishing will to live, Raffaele. But mentally... she is deeply fragile. She flinches at every sound."
Raffaele gripped the doorframe, his knuckles white. "Can I see her?"
"Just for a moment. But don't overwhelm her."
Raffaele pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit bedroom. Evelyn was propped up against a mountain of pillows, wearing a clean silk robe. A cup of warm broth sat untouched on the bedside table. When she saw him, her breath hitched, and she instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around her chest.
"Evelyn," Raffaele said softly, kneeling beside the bed so he was at eye level with her. He reached out, his hand hovering before gently resting over hers. "You're safe now. No one will ever hurt you again. I swear it on my life."
Evelyn stared into his eyes, tears welling in her green irises. "I heard you, Raffaele. All those years... I heard your footsteps walking above my head. Sometimes, you played with Leo in the hallway right outside my door. I wanted to scream out, but..." She swallowed hard, a shudder racking her thin frame. "Bianca told me if I made a single sound, she would find a way to hurt Leo. She said she would make sure my son grew up motherless."
The air left Raffaele’s lungs. A cold, paralyzing fury seized his chest. Leo. Bianca had used their son as a leash to keep Evelyn buried alive.
"Why?" Raffaele whispered, his voice cracking. "Why did she do this to us, Evelyn? What possible reason could Bianca have had to destroy our lives?"
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Evelyn turned her head toward the window, where the afternoon sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long, bruised shadows across the Castellano estate.
"Because of the inheritance, Raffaele," Evelyn whispered. "And because of who I was. Bianca didn't want a penniless art teacher marrying into the Castellano bloodline. She wanted complete control over your father’s estate, and she knew that once we married, you would pull away from her shadow."
