Chapter 5: The Child Nobody Knew About
The photograph stayed on the table between us.
Nobody touched it.
Nobody breathed.
Finally, Dante picked it up.
His face changed.
I had seen him angry.
I had seen him afraid.
But I had never seen him look destroyed.
“What is this?”” he whispered.
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
“The truth.””
I looked at Dante.
“Do you know?””
He didn’t answer.
That scared me more than anything.
“Dante.””
His fingers tightened around the photograph.
“I don’t know.””
Victoria sat down slowly.
“For three years, everyone believed Elena disappeared with one secret.””
She looked at me.
“But there were two.””
My stomach twisted.
“What are you saying?””
She looked at Dante.
“Tell her.””
He stared at the picture.
Then finally spoke.
“Three years ago, the night before my wedding…”
He stopped.
I waited.
“The night before I married Victoria, there was an attack.””
I frowned.
“You never told me.””
“Because I was trying to keep you away from it.””
His voice lowered.
“That night, someone tried to kill me.””
I looked at the photograph.
“And?””
“And someone else was hurt.””
Victoria looked down.
“Me.””
Silence.
“You?””
She nodded.
“I lost my baby.””
The room froze.
I stared.
“What?””
Dante looked like he couldn’t hear anything anymore.
“I didn’t know she was pregnant.””
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“Because I didn’t tell you.””
“Why?””
“Because I knew you didn’t love me.””
The words hung there.
Then she looked at me.
“But I also knew Elena loved you.””
I felt sick.
“What does this have to do with Leo?””
Victoria looked at Dante.
“Everything.””
Dante stepped forward.
“Explain.””
Her voice trembled.
“After the attack, I found out someone inside your organization had betrayed you.””
Dante’s face darkened.
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
“You’re lying.””
“No.””
She looked at me.
“But I found out something else.””
My heart pounded.
“What?””
She swallowed.
“The person who ordered the attack knew about Elena.””
Dante went still.
“And Leo?””
Victoria nodded.
“They knew about him too.””
I grabbed the table.
“Why?””
“Because Leo was proof.””
“Proof of what?””
Victoria looked at Dante.
“Proof that you had a weakness.””
Dante’s expression turned cold.
“No.””
“Yes.””
She stood.
“And whoever wanted you destroyed knew the only way to break you was through Elena.””
I looked at my son’s room upstairs.
Suddenly every fear I had buried came back.
The reason I left.
The reason I stayed silent.
The reason I protected Leo.
“You knew someone was after us,” I whispered.
Dante looked at me.
“Yes.””
“And you still let me go?””
His eyes filled.
“I thought distance would save you.””
“You thought wrong.””
“I know.””
A sound interrupted us.
A small voice.
“Mommy?””
We all turned.
Leo stood on the stairs holding his stuffed bear.
His eyes moved from me to Dante.
Then to Victoria.
“Why is everyone sad?””
I rushed toward him.
But before I reached him, Leo looked at Dante.
“Are you my daddy?””
The entire world stopped.
Dante looked at me.
I had spent three years preparing for his anger.
His rejection.
His hatred.
I had never prepared for this.
Slowly, Dante knelt down.
His voice broke.
“Yes.””
Leo studied him.
“Why didn’t you come find me?””
Dante closed his eyes.
And when he opened them, there were tears.
“Because I didn’t know you were there.””
Leo seemed to think about that.
Then he walked forward.
Small footsteps.
Quiet.
Careful.
And he placed his tiny hand in Dante’s.
Then the front door exploded open.
Every security guard in the house reached for their weapons.
A man stepped inside.
A man I had never seen before.
But Dante had.
Because the color drained from his face.
“No.””
The stranger smiled.
“Hello, Dante.””
Then he looked at Leo.
“I finally found the Moretti heir.””
May you like
And Dante whispered the words that changed everything.
“Run.””
