Chapter 8 - The Poisoned Root
Three weeks before the wedding, a subtle poison began to spread through the Romano estate.
It started with small things. Supplies for Ethan’s therapy went missing. Lily’s herbal tins in the greenhouse were mysteriously knocked over and mixed with toxic nightshade powder. Then, Ethan’s progress suddenly plateaued—his legs grew weak and inflamed after his daily evening tea.
Lily sat in her private apothecary room late at night, examining a tin of chamomile tea leaves under a magnifying glass.
A sharp, strange almond smell clung to the dried flowers.
"Cyanide," Lily whispered to herself, her blood running cold. "Low-dose digitalis and cyanide."
Someone was slowly poisoning Ethan's tea to make it look like his paralysis was relapsing—and to frame Lily’s herbal treatments for his decline.
Before she could call for Mateo, her door clicked open.
A female housemaid named Rosa—a woman who had worked for the Romano family for ten years—stepped into the room holding a silver tray with a pitcher of water.
"Miss Lily," Rosa said quietly, her hands shaking slightly. "Mr. Romano asked me to bring you fresh water."
Lily stood up, looking at Rosa’s trembling hands, then at the chamomile tin on the table.
"Rosa," Lily said softly. "Who paid you to put digitalis in Ethan's tea?"
Rosa dropped the tray. The glass pitcher shattered on the marble floor, water splashing across their shoes. Rosa collapsed onto her knees, sobbing hysterically.
"I had no choice! I had no choice!" Rosa wept, clutching her face. "Carmine Moretti has my daughter! He said he would kill her if I didn't put the powder in the boy's drinks! He wanted to ruin you so Alessandro would throw you out!"
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Lily knelt down beside the crying woman, her heart breaking for her, but her mind racing with immediate danger. "Where is Carmine holding your daughter, Rosa?"
"At... at the old iron foundry by the docks," Rosa sobbed. "He told me tonight was the final dose... he’s planning to attack the estate during the thunderstorm tonight!"
