Page 148 of Enzo

“I know.”

His head snaps back to me. “You knew?”

I nod. It wasn't easy to find, but I don't tell him that.

“She might still be here.” His brow creases like he's battling with something ugly.

I walk towards him. “You don't know that, Enzo. You don't know what she was going through, or what was in her mind that day.” I move closer. “But whatever happened, you weren’t responsible for the choice she made.”

He sits on the couch, and I crouch between his legs, placing my hands on his knees.

“You don't know all the truth, Molly. You don't know the worst of it.”

The way he says it, the pain piercing through his eyes, I can see the pain is ripping him into pieces.

“My father deceived two women on different sides of the globe. They didn't know about each other. And do you know who exposed the secret?”

I shake my head, not daring to speak.

“Me.” He hangs his head. “It was me.”

I finally understand the weight he’s been carrying. It explains so much.

“I adored my father and I found a photo. I knew not to touch any of his possessions, but I wanted to see. So I pulled it out.” He lets out a shaky breath. “It wasn't Mama in the photo, and it wasn't me or Rio or Matteo. I was confused, so I showed it to Mama. She was in the kitchen cooking.”

He stops, his jaw tightening. He squeezes his eyes shut, like he’s reliving that time all over again.

“And the minute I showed it to her I knew I’d done something wrong.” He opens his eyes. “I saw Mama's face. I'll never forget it. She looked like I’d broken her. She took the photo from me and told me that I couldn't tell anyone. I've carried that secret all these years. Nobody knows.”

He lets out a shaky breath.

This. This is what’s been chewing him up from inside. This is the guilt he’s carried all these years. My heart bleeds for him. I kneel, moving closer to him and put my arms around his neck.

“Oh, Enzo,” I whisper. My heart feels the pain of the young boy he was.

“I found the photo about Father's other family. Rio and Matteo don't know. I’ve never told a soul, but it's eaten away at me, Molly. It's eaten away at me. All these years I've tried to keep it buried.”

I look up at him. His eyes are glassy.

“They started arguing that same night. Father left the next day and Mama told us. I don’t know how Aurora found out. Maybe Mama threatened to tell her, maybe Father realized he couldn’t keep the secrets any longer. The thing is, Aurora would still be here had I not shown Mama the photo.”

I stroke his cheek, and wipe away the moisture from his eyes. “You can’t know that.”

“I do know it. I ruined her life because a little while later she drove her car over a bridge and died. If I hadn't done what I did, none of this would have happened. Our lives would have remained the same. Mama's world wouldn't have broken. Father wouldn't have vanished from our lives, and Aurora would be alive. Jett and Dex and Zach would have a mother. But I ripped that from them. I did that, don't you see?”

“Oh, Enzo. Enzo, Enzo.” I sit on the couch alongside him. “No. You did not do this. You were a little boy who found a photograph. You didn't deceive anyone. You didn't betray anyone.”

I let that sit a while.

“Just like you tell me that what happened in Venice wasn't my fault, what you did and what happened after that photograph, wasn't yours. It never has been, Enzo. It never has been your fault. It was never your burden to carry.”

I snuggle against him, putting my arms around his shoulders. I press a kiss against the side of his face.

“And your mom telling you not to say anything? She was trying to protect you. She couldn't have known what carrying that secret would do to you.”

He turns to me, and his expression softens, just a little. It almost feels as if the tightness he’s been carrying, starts to melt.

But I can tell he’s still fighting with my words. Years of him believing one thing can't be undone by a few things I've said.