fatherless

Ali and Luca's joyful moment was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of a bell from outside. Ali looked out the window and saw the mail cart pull up to the orphanage gate. A man in blue overalls climbed out of the cart, holding a letter in his hand. The orphanage director, Ms. Elenor, opened the door, and the man handed her the letter. After a brief conversation, the door closed, and Ms. Elenor returned inside.

Ali, watching everything from the window, felt his curiosity grow. What did the letter say? There had been rumors in the orphanage for years—people said that Ms. Elenor received a letter every year, and that these letters were from a mysterious lover. Ali never paid much attention to these rumors. But today, with nothing else to do, the letter caught his attention.

He quietly left the dining hall and began walking toward Ms. Elenor's room. As he neared the door, he overheard voices from inside. It was Bella, the maid:

"Did you get another letter about Ali?"

Ms. Elenor's voice responded calmly, "Yes. This mysterious person keeps sending Ali letters. They're always about the old house where Ali used to live."

Bella's voice sounded worried. "Shouldn't we give them to Ali? I'm worried about him being alone all the time. Maybe reading these would help him."

There was a brief silence before Ms. Elenor replied, "No, Bella. We don't know what could happen if we give these letters to him. This person might be dangerous. He keeps trying to get Ali to go back to that old house. There's a chance he could be a child trafficker."

Bella sighed. "You're right, Miss Elenor. We need to wait until he's at least 18, or until we can find a foster home for him."

Ms. Elenor agreed, and Ali stood frozen outside the door. His heart raced with disbelief. She hadn't known anyone in her family had been sending letters for years, and that those letters had been hidden from her. Ali stormed back to her room, feeling both angry and betrayed.

"How could they do this to me? I always trusted them!" she muttered, her voice shaking.

Luca, who had followed her, looked at her in surprise. "Maybe it's for your own good, Ali," he said cautiously.

Ali whirled around, his face full of anger. "Are you defending them too? Are you going to protect the people who don't trust me?"

Luca, sensing Ali's growing frustration, tried to calm him. "Maybe we should get that letter. We won't know anything until we find out what it says."

Ali's eyes brightened. "But how do we do it? The door's always locked when Ms. Elenor is in her room."

Luca thought for a moment. "Ms. Elenor always carries her keys, but Bella has a spare. Sometimes she misplaces it, and the children find it and return it."

Ali's face lit up with excitement. "That's a great idea, Luca! We can sneak in at night and find the letters!"

Luca paused, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "I wonder if we're doing the right thing…"

Ali noticed Luca's concern and turned to him. "What's wrong, Luca?"

Luca smiled at Ali's determined expression and shrugged. "Nothing… Come on, let's find those letters!"