Chapter 7 The one who knew the truth

Flora

She didn't even look at them. Her eyes stayed locked on my face.

"Please," I begged quickly, thinking she would help me. "If you have any humanity, please help me. I don't belong here. I'm Flora. Flora Rossi. I work at a café. I'm nobody. Please."

The woman's face had gone completely white. Her hands were shaking. She reached up slowly and touched my cheek, just like he had done. Like she was checking if I was real.

"Eva.” She whispered, shock and disbelief written on her face.

"I'm not her!" Hot tears streamed down my face. I was doomed. "Whatever you think you see, it's not real. Please believe me.”

"The hair is wrong," she whispered. "And the eyes. But the face. Dear God, the face is exactly the same."

"Miss Moretti," the guard said again. "Should we..."

"Isabella!" An angry voice boomed from down the hall.

I froze. I knew that voice.

The madman. 

Rafael

I appeared from the hallway. My blood boiled when I saw Isabella holding Flora. 

My cousin wasn't supposed to be here. Not now. Not when everything was still so fragile.

"Isabella!" I pushed through my guards. "What are you doing here? I told Marco to keep you away."

Isabella didn't answer. She just stared at Flora like she'd seen a ghost rise from the grave. Her face was pale, her hands were trembling where they gripped Flora's arms.

"Rafael," she breathed. "What have you done?"

"This doesn't concern you. Go home." I said coldly.

"Doesn't concern me?" Her voice rose sharply. "You kidnapped a stranger! You're holding her prisoner! How does this not concern me?"

"She's not just some girl." I walked closer, my eyes never leaving Flora. "Look at her, Isabella. Tell me you don't see it."

Isabella turned back to Flora. Her gray-blue eyes searched every feature of Flora's face. I watched her expression and I saw the moment understanding hit her. The moment she saw that I hadn't just kidnapped a stranger. I had taken back my wife.

"No," Isabella whispered. "No, Rafael, this is insane. Even for you, this is too much."

"She came back to me," I said softly. "Just like Eva promised. She came back."

"She's not Eva!" Isabella shouted, her voice echoing through the hall. "I know Eva too well and she is dead! We buried her five years ago! This girl, whoever she is, she's not your wife!"

"Yes, she is." I said defiantly.

"No, she's not!" Isabella grabbed Flora's shoulders, turning her to face her fully. "Tell him. Tell him your name. Tell him who you are."

"Flora Rossi," Flora whispered through her tears. "I'm Flora Rossi. I'm twenty-three. I work at a café. I've never met him before. He took me from my work. I'm not Eva. I swear, I'm not Eva."

Isabella's face crumpled. But not with sympathy.

"She's confused," I said calmly. "The trauma of dying and coming back had scrambled her memories. But I'm helping her remember. She's already wearing Eva's dress. Soon we'll fix her hair. Her eyes. Everything. Then she'll remember who she really is."

"Fix her?" Isabella's voice was low and dangerous. She was the only one allowed to talk back to me. I allowed her that privilege because she was the only family I had left. 

"Rafael, do you hear yourself?" She asked coldly.

"She is Eva. Look at her face and tell me she's not." I said desperately.

Isabella looked at Flora again. And I saw something shift in her expression. The shock was fading, replaced by calculation and assessment.

"The face is the same," Isabella admitted slowly. "The resemblance is remarkable. Almost impossible."

"Because it's her. It has to be her." I said firmly.

Isabella released Flora and stepped back. Her eyes were ice cold now.

"Guards, take the girl back to her room." I said calmly.

"No!" Flora screamed. "Please! Please don't take me back there!"

Two guards moved forward and grabbed Flora's arms. She fought, but they were too strong. They dragged her towards the hallway as she screamed and begged.

"Please! Someone help me! Please!"

The screams echoed until a door slammed somewhere, cutting off the sound.

Isabella and I stood alone in the corridor.

"We need to talk," she said coldly. "Tomorrow, at my house. Show up by noon."

"Isabella..."

"Tomorrow, Rafael." Her voice was cold as steel. She was exactly like our grandfather. Cold and dangerous. 

"We have a lot to discuss about this girl and what you plan to do with her." She finished.

"She's Eva. And she's staying here." I said firmly.

"We'll see." Isabella walked towards the door, her heels clicking against the marble. She paused before leaving, looking back at me with an expression I couldn't read. "Tomorrow. Don't make me come back here."

She left. The guards closed the door with a soft click.

I stood alone in the empty corridor, my mind racing. Isabella's reaction bothered me. She hadn't tried to help Flora. She had just looked at Flora with that cold, calculating expression.

What was she planning?

Marco appeared from the shadows. "Boss, what just happened?"

"Isabella saw her."

His brows shit up. "And?"

"And she wants to meet tomorrow. At her house." I shook my head.

Marco's face went grim. "That's not good. Isabella never talks like that unless she has something planned."

"I know." I ran a hand through my hair. "But I can't refuse. She's the only family I have."

"Family who just saw you holding a girl prisoner." Marco’s brow shut up.

"Family who saw Eva alive." I corrected. "She saw it too. The reseèmblance. She couldn't deny it."

"Boss, Isabella seeing the resemblance doesn't mean she'll support what you're doing."

"Then what will she do?" I asked.

Marco was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. But Isabella isn't someone who acts without thinking. If she's calling a meeting, she has a plan."

A cold feeling settled in my gut. "Put more guards on Flora's room. No one gets in or out without my permission. And have someone watch Isabella. I want to know where she goes, and who she talks to."

"You think she'll betray you?" Marco asked.

"I think Isabella always does what she believes is right for the family." I looked towards the east wing where Flora was locked away. "And I don't know if she considers Flora part of the family or a threat to it."

Marco nodded and walked away to give orders.

I stood there for a long moment, staring at nothing. Isabella's face kept flashing in my mind. That cold, calculating look when she examined Flora. 

What was she thinking? What was she planning?

I walked back to Flora's room. The guards stepped aside as I unlocked the door.

She was curled up on the bed, still wearing Eva's blue dress, crying into the pillow.

"Eva," I said softly.

She didn't respond.

I sat in the chair across from her. "Tomorrow, the hairdresser will come to fix your hair and make it black like it should be. And I've ordered the green contacts. The exact shade."

Still she said nothing.