Chapter 2 - The Interrogation of Blood
The sprawling basement of the Rossi compound was completely soundproof.
It was a place designed for extracting truths that men preferred to take to their graves.
Tonight, it was occupied by the head housekeeper, a terrified woman named Maria who had served the family for twenty years.
Dante sat in a leather chair, the Swiss glass bottle resting on the steel table between them.
"I will only ask you once, Maria," Dante said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
Maria sobbed, her hands shaking violently in her lap.
"The Signora... she ordered me to spray all of the baby's new clothes with it."
"She told me it was a special European formula to protect his immune system."
Dante’s jaw tightened, the muscles ticking under his skin like a coiled spring.
"Did she know it was causing the rashes?"
Maria nodded frantically, tears spilling down her wrinkled cheeks.
"When the first doctor said it might be an environmental allergy, I tried to throw the bottle away."
"Signora Beatrice caught me."
"She slapped me across the face and told me that if I ever stopped using it, she would have my husband deported and my sons ruined."
Dante closed his eyes, a monstrous wave of betrayal crashing over his soul.
His mother had deliberately tortured his infant son.
Upstairs in the nursery, Camila was pacing the floor, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
Elena sat in the velvet armchair, rocking Leo gently as he slept in the plain cotton blanket.
"Why would she do this?" Camila cried softly, pacing back and forth.
"Why would a grandmother intentionally torture an innocent baby?"
Elena looked up, her nursing instincts shifting into a darker realization.
"Because she didn't want to kill him."
"She wanted to break you."
Camila stopped pacing, her breath catching in her throat.
"Think about it," Elena explained quietly.
"The doctors couldn't find a cure."
"The baby was constantly screaming."
"You haven't slept in weeks, and your mental health is completely unraveling."
"If this continued for another month, what would have happened?"
Camila’s eyes widened as the horrifying strategy became clear.
"I would have been institutionalized," Camila whispered in sheer horror.
"Or I would have taken my own life."
"Exactly," Elena nodded grimly.
"And Beatrice would have gained full custody of the Rossi heir, removing the estranged, unwanted wife from the picture forever."
The heavy oak door swung open, and Dante stepped into the room.
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His face was a mask of cold, calculated murder.
He had heard every word Elena just said, and the terrifying truth was that the clinic nurse was absolutely right.
