Chapter 3 - Victoria Was Family, Which Made It Worse
Victoria Hayes was not some random wedding guest.
She was Noah’s maternal aunt.
Claire’s sister.
For years, Rocco had trusted her.
Not completely.
Victoria had always been difficult.
Sharp.
Status-conscious.
Too interested in who owned what.
But she loved Claire.
Or seemed to.
When Claire died suddenly from a cerebral aneurysm at thirty-five, Victoria became one of the few people Rocco allowed close during the weeks after the funeral.
She helped sort Claire’s clothing.
Handled calls from distant relatives.
Stayed with Noah when Rocco met with doctors and estate lawyers.
Sat beside Rocco during the memorial service.
She cried harder than anyone.
That history made the broken hearing aid almost impossible for Rocco to understand.
How could the woman who had once slept in the guest room because Noah had a fever be the same woman who slapped him across the face?
Then there was Marcus.
Marcus Hale had been Claire’s family attorney before she married Rocco.
Afterward, he handled limited estate-planning work for them both.
Nothing particularly dramatic.
Wills.
Insurance documents.
A small educational trust for Noah.
Some family property Claire inherited from her grandmother.
When Claire died, Marcus helped administer paperwork connected to those assets.
Rocco remembered being grateful.
He had been barely functioning.
Marcus handled forms.
Deadlines.
Notices.
Technical language.
Rocco signed what his own independent attorney approved and left the rest to professionals.
Or so he believed.
Now Noah had heard Victoria and Marcus whispering at a wedding.
And the words he remembered included:
Mommy. Signature. Dead. Money.
May you like
Rocco did not believe in coincidences that convenient.
---
