---
**Chapter 15: Echoes of Betrayal**
Carlo's warning hung in the air, thick and suffocating, as Isabella tightened her grip on the locket. She stepped forward, her gaze unwavering. "What do you know about this, Carlo?" she demanded, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.
Carlo smiled faintly, the kind of smile that held no warmth. "More than you'd like to know," he said cryptically, turning as though to leave.
"No," Luca said sharply, his voice cutting through the tension. "You don't get to walk away from this. Tell us what you're hiding."
Carlo stopped, his back to them, and for a moment, the silence stretched unbearably. When he finally spoke, his words were calm yet charged with menace. "The vineyard has seen more than you realize," he said. "More than you'll ever understand. And sometimes, the past doesn't stay buried."
He turned then, his eyes meeting Luca's with a challenge that made Isabella's chest tighten. "You don't remember what happened that night, do you?"
Luca's expression hardened, his fists clenching at his sides. "You were there," he said, his voice trembling with both anger and desperation. "Weren't you?"
Carlo didn't answer directly. Instead, he took a step closer, his gaze shifting to Isabella. "Be careful who you trust," he said softly. "Even those closest to you can betray you."
With that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Isabella and Luca standing in the grove, the weight of his words pressing heavily between them.
"We need to go back to the house," Luca said finally, his voice tight. "There's something I need to show you."
When they returned, Luca led her to his writing desk, where he retrieved an old, leather-bound journal. He handed it to her without a word, his expression unreadable.
"What is this?" Isabella asked, flipping through the pages filled with Luca's handwriting.
"It's the story I've been trying to write," he said quietly. "But it's not just fiction. It's everything I remember—about Emilia, about the vineyard, and about that night."
Isabella's heart raced as she scanned the pages, piecing together fragments of Luca's memories. The details were hazy, but one thing was clear: Emilia had been afraid, and Luca's connection to Carlo ran deeper than she'd realized.
But before she could ask more, the sound of breaking glass shattered the stillness, pulling their attention to the window. Isabella's breath caught as she saw a shadow outside, moving swiftly toward the house.
"Stay here," Luca said, his voice firm as he moved toward the door. But Isabella couldn't stay behind. Gripping the journal tightly, she followed him into the night, the locket in her pocket feeling heavier with each step.
---