Chapter 12 – The Last Voice MessagOnor the first day, Sara replied normally.
On the second day, less.
By the third afternoon, Matteo had received nothing for fourteen hours.
He sent:
You okay?
No answer.
At 6:23 p.m., a voice message arrived.
Twenty-one seconds.
Matteo played it immediately.
Sara sounded tired.
Not frightened.
That was somehow worse.
“I’m okay. Everyone is just being intense. My phone might be off for a while because there is drama about roaming. Don’t call my parents. Seriously. I’ll message when I can.”
Then, almost as an afterthought:
“And don’t make things worse.”
Matteo played it again.
Then again.
He noticed something on the fourth listen.
A man’s voice in the background.
Not clear enough to understand.
Then Sarasaidg, away from the phone:
“I’m sending it.”
The message ended.
Matteo called.
Phone unavailable.
He contacted Lucia.
Lucia contacted Giulia.
By evening, people were asking questions again.
But now Sara was outside Italy.
Her family responded to calls.
They said she was safe.
They said she had decided to remain with relatives for a while.
They said Matteo was harassing her.
They said Sara no longer wanted contact with him.
When authorities asked to speak directly with Sara, there were delays.
She was sleeping.
She was visiting an aunt.
Her phone was broken.
She was upset.
She didn’t want to speak.
The explanations changed.
But none, individually, proved what everyone feared.
Three days became five.
Five became eight.
Then a photograph appeared on a relative’s social media account.
Sara was sitting between two female relatives.
She was wearing a dark dress.
Her face was visible.
She was not smiling.
The caption said:
Family comes before everything.
The photograph disappeared several hours later.
