Ella stared at the diaries feeling not at all comfortable in opening it up. Though she had done that before doing it again seem wrong. She was invading into someone's memory, someone's life. Demetrio Agosti's life.

She hesitantly took the first book in order, Journal Year 1997. Flipping the hardcover open, in the first page was a colourful fingerprint of a child, she assumed it to be Ara's. At the corner of the page, scribbled A.T.A.

Ella wondered what could A.T.A stands for and immediately flipped to the next page. The pages filled with the exact similar handwriting from the letter; her heart missed a beat.

She shut her eyes tight and took a deep breath, "I'm not Ara Agosti. I'm not Ara Agosti" she repeated to herself before reading.

The nine months in 1997 of Demetrio Agosti's life was filled with beautiful and sweet memories revolving around his wonderful loving wife and a daughter that's dear to him. Demetrio never ended his daily journal without being grateful for the day and for the life he lives. The words written in the diary was more than enough to tell one who much he loved his daughter. Ella felt envied towards Ara Agosti to have lived a beautiful happy childhood though it did not last long. 

"Err... concentrate Ella. Stop being jealous" she groaned flipping the diary as she randomly went through the content.

Her eyes caught a familiar word she had heard Diego mentioning a couple of times before, Lecco. "Lecco? That's where the country house is..." she thought to herself and turn over a few pages back.

I like to go for holidays on odd times hence this time it is end of autumn and the beginning of winter. I'm back at Lecco after a year now and it feels great to be in a peaceful place than Milan. We had a great time today, the kids enjoyed cleaning the lawn while Benny and me cleaned the pond. The ladies as usual had conquered the kitchen................

Ella skipped the happy part of their vacation and fast read the journal. Only to stop when a number of pages were skipped. The empty pages got Ella thinking if these were dates when Ruffina Agosti died?

The journal began again, skipping ten days of daily record.

Should I even continue???? What am I supposed to do???

I lost my wife and my daughter is in the hospital....

Why wasn't it me in the barn that day....

Ella traced her fingers over the pages, ink on it had blotted. She knows it's from the tears that dropped at the moment it was written. Sadness engulfed as she continued to read the misery Demetrio Agosti went through. Without her realising, her eyes welled, wetting the pages that had already seen tears many years ago.

-------

Stepping on the brake paddle manoeuvring the car with screeching halt, Diego rushed into the orphanage.

"Andrea? Can I meet Andrea?" he asked, breathlessly to the receptionist who looked at him, confused.

"Please wait, I'll get him. Can I know your name?"

"Tell him, he sent a text earlier to get some documents"

She immediately went in and came out within five followed by a limping man in mid-fifties. He had bruises on his face, got Diego wondered if this was an orphanage or fighting club.

"What documents do you want?" Andrea asked. He was ambivalent at the intrusion of a new man seeking for some document all of a sudden.

"You texted Ella to get her documents?"

Andrea was confused, he scanned Diego from head to toe.

"Who are you?"

"Can we talk in private?" Diego instead asked as he glanced the surrounding, they both were.

He nodded and gesture Diego to follow him to an office room.

"Now tell me, who are you?" he asked again as soon as they settle on the seat in either side of the office table.

"I'm Diego Moretti, Ella Falco's friend"

"Moretti?"

Andrea immediately stood up, shocked.

"What do you want? Did your father send you here? What else does he wants? Andrea's question startled Diego.

"What do you mean? Was my father here earlier?" fretted Diego as he watched Andrea pacing behind the desk and shaking his head side to side.

"Get out of my place. Moretti's are not allowed here" Andrea turned frustrated, he walked towards Diego and tried to push him out.

"No! Wait. I'm not going anywhere without knowing the truth!" Diego yanked Andrea's hand off his shoulders.

"You do know who is Ara Agosti, right?!

Look, I assure you I'm here with good intention. Just tell me who Ara Agosti is" Diego waited for Andrea to get convinced.

Andrea contemplated if he could trust the boy who is asking the one thing, he had been keeping secret all these while. Should he tell or chase him away, thought Andrea.

"Did my father came here earlier?" he asked to gain more trust for him.

"Yes!" Andrea felt maybe Diego could be genuine, he opened up.

"Yes, he came here along with some friends with guns. He came to ask about Ella and her parents' details. I refused to give any details thus, Bernardo threaten to kill me. When I did not budge to his threat, he used my wife by physically hurting me. She finally gave in and handing over whatever he asked"

Diego stared at him, perplexed. He wasn't sure how to react hearing his father's ruthlessness. Why did his father want details of Ella? Why did he hurt them?

"Tell me everything you know about Ara, please. Please, tell me!" Diego pleaded.

Andrea tried to study Diego, him being Bernardo's son had him doubtful of the young man but there is nothing else he could do. Bernardo now knows already and hiding it from Diego isn't going to help with anything.

"Alright! Only if you promise to keep Ara safe"

"Of course, I will!!!" he answered immediately.

Andrea took some time to compose himself as he recollects the memories of Demetrio and him.

"Demetrio and I became friends through multiple meetings in charity events. A few weeks after Rufina died, he called me to Lecco saying it's urgent and confidential. Hence, I made a trip to Lecco without informing anyone only to find out Demetrio broken and absolutely not himself"

It was night by the time Andrea reached Lecco. Demetrio's condition had shocked Andrea to the core. Demetrio whom he knew was always well-dressed, stylish, neat and pleasant. However, the new Demetrio looked nothing but a miserable man"

"What have you done to yourself, Demetrio?" Andrea asked, worriedly to the man who sat opposite him.

"Life has done it to me. So, you don't question me. I'm a man who have lost my wife and now trying to think a way to keep my daughter safe. Away from the unknown predators" Demetrio sounded emotionless.

"Predators? Who?"

Demetrio simply shrugged and took a small piece of folded paper from a book kept on the table. He read it once and pass it to Andrea with a heavy sigh. Demetrio's hand trembled in the process.

On the paper written,

—*—With regret, I'm writing this because I don't have the courage to face you, sir. I'm extremely sorry for your loss. I swear by God; I did not know this was planned to kill you. I was only told to lock and burn the barn when I get a call as a signal. I swear I didn't know Mrs. Agosti and Ara was inside. I'm guilty for what I have done. So, blinded with the money I was given that I forgot who gave me a stable life. I'm sorry. I'm a coward. Please keep baby Ara safe. I heard him speaking about destroying the Agostis. Stay away from your friend. He is dangerous—*—

Andrea shook his head in disbelieve. "Is this true? Or some kind of a joke?" he asked.

"He left this along with the note" Demetrio show a two couple of stacks of money to Andrea. Each stack valued €10,000. "Which ever worker of mine he was, he wouldn't have these much with him to leave for me. This is the money given to him to do the job"

"Hmm.... What are you going to do? And who is this friend of yours?" Andrea further inquired.

"About who it is, I don't know, Andrea. About what I'm going to..., that's why you are here" Demetrio brought himself forward, focused on what his going to say next.

"This maybe a little hassle but it will keep my daughter safe while I keep the predators away from her. I cannot bare anymore loss. I need your help, Andrea.

Will you be by my side all throughout. No matter how many years it takes?" Demetrio almost pleaded as if Andrea is his only resort.

"I will. There is no doubt about it. Tell me what you want me to do?"

Demetrio smiled, just a little with the slightest nod.

"My daughter is now treated and getting well. I want you to keep her with you in your orphanage"

"What in my orphanage? Are you serious, Demetrio? How can she handle the life there? It's too different than what she has been living" Andrea asked, apprehensive with Demetrio's decision.

"I know but I don't find any other way. All I want is to keep her safe away from whatever may come. I'm aware that no one will do this but I'm capable and I can afford to spend all the money I have to keep her safe. I'll do it" Demetrio said with confidence that gave Andrea too the surety about the plan.

"What's the plan?"

"I'm going to pronounce Ara dead"

"What?! Are you kidding?" Andrea almost jumped out his seat.

"No, I'm serious. I think that's the only way to keep 'The Bad Friend's' eye away from my daughter so, she would get to live her life normal. I don't want to keep her caged for her entire life" Demetrio tried to explain his reasons.

"Fine! After that?"

"I'm going to pronounce her dead was caused by the fire and do everything that is necessary. From the funeral to the death certificates and everything which will be a fake one. No one will ever be able to find her with the name they know all this while.

You will need to prepare some documents that will validate her new identity. I knew a couple from Ruffina's family who died a few months ago in an accident. We will take their identity as new Ara's parents. I have some of their documents with me and you will take it from there. The longest it could go is until Ara turns twenty-five" Demetrio explained.

Though he knew once Ara turns twenty-five, he will bring her back.

yet Demetrio had a slight doubt maybe the man is after them for their properties hence, he made plans accordingly by twisting his last will. Willing it in a way that would compel whoever is after the properties to keep her alive and safe.

"Don't worry about Ara's expenses" he said when Andrea fell silent for a long time.

Andrea nodded. The plan seemed to be workable, he needed to keep Ara safe with him until Demetrio finds out who the culprit is. That was all his duty in this plan. However, years went by but he found none. There was no evidence of the friend nor was he able to find the worker who left the note and the cash with him.

Though, keeping Ara away from him and giving her a life of an orphan, Demetrio never ignored his fatherly duty. The only thing is, instead of spending for Ara alone he spent for the entire orphanage. Be it a birthday celebration or just a random outing and dinner, he does it all. Always being with Ara without her knowing about his presence.

Somewhere in the midst of this new peaceful life, Demetrio had a fear. What if by any chance, the man finds Ara when he isn't there to protect her? Demetrio tried to find a way for his daughter to learn something that will help her protect herself.

During that time, Andrea had told him that he learnt Ara's new interest in national service and that provoked the idea of sending her into the military school. But just for some time, he didn't want her to go into military for life. Hence, Andrea along with a military personnel whom Demetrio seek help, planned on having a few kids into the military school for two years before sending them back.

It was all planned and Demetrio was just waiting to bring her back when the misfortune happened.

"Everything was pre-planned, Diego" Andrea finished the story that he knew and hand him a file.

Diego was stunned with what Demetrio had done and dumbfound with the man's forward thinking. He was amazed with everything he heard about his Uncle D.

"Everything about Ara is in here"

Diego immediately grabbed the file and went through every document without missing any. Agreements done between Demetrio and Andrea, DNA test report and photographs.

He had seen a familiar set of documents before.....

In the locker.... but he wasn't able to go through any of it that time. Diego quickly thanked Andrea for telling him everything and said he would come back after everything gets resolved, he dashed out of the orphanage and to the Agosti Firearms.

To double check the documents.

Barging into his office room, Diego spared no time in unlocking the locker and throwing every content out of it.

All of the documents from the locker tallied with those Andrea had given him. His heavy breathing begin to return to normal, he was sure now.

Diego took the photographs laid on the floor before him, one was a younger Ara Agosti and the other was an older one. Was he surprised or not, Diego himself wasn't sure of it?

He smiled weakly at the photograph, his eyes then moved to the bottom corner of the it.

It was written,

A.T.A

(ARABELLA TERESA AGOSTI)

A tear dropped on the written name followed by another, sobbing slowly turned loud as she begin to cry—hyperventilating. For her life has been a lie all throughout. From her name to whom she believed to be her parents—lies.

Ella read the last line written on the diary dated 5th December 1997 through her blurry eyes again,

'My daughter Arabella Teresa Agosti is now Ella Falco. And she will be safe'

**********

Presenting you,