Chapter 2 - The Shadows of the Past
The blacked-out Suburban glided silently through the rain-slicked streets of Manhattan. Inside, the leather interior was quiet except for the quiet hum of the climate control and the rhythmic wiping of the windshield blades.
Lila had fallen asleep ten minutes after we left the airport, exhausted from the flight and the emotional storm surrounding her. She lay across the middle row, her head resting in Sarah's lap, clutching her pink backpack like a shield.
I sat in the captain's chair opposite them, my arms crossed, watching the streetlights cast alternating shadows across Sarah's face.
"Where are you taking us, Luca?" Sarah asked, her voice ragged. "You can't just kidnap us."
"I am taking you to my estate in Long Island," I replied calmly. "And I am not kidnapping you. I am securing my family."
"I am not your family anymore!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice low so as not to wake Lila. "You lost that right when you built a life out of violence and secrets!"
"You left!" I growled, leaning forward, placing my elbows on my knees. "You took my child—my flesh and blood—and let her grow up thinking her father was a ghost drawn in crayon on cheap paper! Do you have any idea what I went through? I searched every country in Europe! I spent tens of millions of dollars!"
"Because I was trying to keep her alive!" Sarah cried, tears spilling over her cheeks again. "The note said—"
"Show me the note," I interrupted coldly.
Sarah swallowed hard. She reached into her handbag with trembling hands, pulled out a worn, yellowed piece of paper folded into a tiny square, and handed it to me. It looked like it had been folded and unfolded a thousand times over the last six years.
I took the paper. My fingers brushed hers, sending an electric shock straight through my chest. Even after six years of rage and heartbreak, the touch of her skin made my pulse spike.
I unfolded the paper.
If you love Luca Moretti, leave him now. If you stay, he will bleed. If you carry his heir, we will tear it from you. Leave New York and never look back, or watch his empire burn with you inside it.
Underneath the text was a seal stamped in red wax. A snake wrapped around a dagger.
My breath hitched in my throat.
"This isn't the Falcones," I whispered, my jaw tightening until my teeth ground together.
"Then who is it?" Sarah asked, fear replacing her anger.
"This is the mark of the Vance Syndicate," I said, looking up at her. "Nikolai Vance. My former business partner. The man who managed my legal assets while I handled the... unmentionable side of the business."
Sarah’s eyes widened in horror. "Nikolai? But... he was your friend! He used to bring flowers to the penthouse! He sat at our dinner table!"
"Nikolai wanted total control of the real estate empire," I explained, the pieces falling into place like blood-soaked dominoes. "He knew that as long as I had you, I was grounded. I was careful. But if you vanished, he assumed I would go insane with rage, make a mistake, and destroy myself—or that I would leave the country to search for you, leaving him in charge."
"And you didn't leave," Sarah whispered.
"I didn't leave the business, but I became a monster," I said plainly, looking her dead in the eye. "I spent six years burning down anyone who got in my way, looking for a ghost. Nikolai got rich off my destruction, but he never got total control because I never stopped fighting."
Sarah stared at me, horrified. "So... all this time... it was a lie? There was no imminent attack from an enemy family? It was just Nikolai clearing the board?"
"It was a masterclass in psychological warfare," I admitted bitterly. "And you gave him exactly what he wanted."
"I was protecting our baby!" she shouted, her voice breaking.
Lila stirred in her sleep, letting out a small whimper. Sarah instantly placed a gentle hand on the girl's forehead, whispering soothing words until Lila settled back into deep sleep.
I watched the tender interaction, a profound ache blooming in my chest.
"She has my eyes," I murmured softly.
Sarah looked up, her gaze softening just a fraction. "She has your temper, too. And your stubbornness. She refuses to eat her vegetables unless they're arranged perfectly on the plate."
A faint, bitter smile touched my lips before vanishing. "Why didn't you reach out? Even once? From a payphone? An anonymous letter?"
"Because I was terrified, Luca," Sarah said softly, wiping her cheeks. "I didn't know who to trust. Every car that drove past our small apartment in Ohio felt like a hitman. I spent six years looking over my shoulder, raising our daughter on a waitress's salary, praying that your world would never catch up to us."
"And yet, you got on a flight to New York tonight," I noted.
"My mother is in hospice in Brooklyn," Sarah said quietly. "She's dying, Luca. I had to come back. I thought... I thought after six years, the city was big enough that we would never cross paths. I bought the cheapest seats available. I didn't know you'd be sitting in seat 4A."
"Fate has a twisted sense of humor," I said, staring out the window as the heavy iron gates of my Long Island estate swung open.
The SUV rolled down the long, tree-lined driveway, stopping in front of a sprawling, limestone mansion surrounded by high walls, security cameras, and armed guards.
May you like
"Where are we?" Sarah asked, looking at the formidable fortress outside.
"Welcome home, Sarah," I said, opening my door and stepping out into the cool rain. "Nikolai Vance spent six years keeping us apart. Tomorrow, I tear his world to ground level. But tonight, my daughter sleeps in a safe bed."
