Chapter 5 - The Interrogation and the Truth
I woke up the next morning not to an alarm clock, but to the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of muffled voices in the hallway.
Sophia was still asleep, clutching my arm.
I gently untangled myself, slipped on a soft robe a maid had left for me, and walked out into the corridor.
The estate was a hive of quiet, disciplined activity.
I wandered toward the kitchen, guided by the scent of espresso.
I found Luca sitting at a massive granite island. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his white shirt was rumpled.
Spread out in front of him were files, photographs, and a laptop.
"Good morning," I said softly.
He looked up, and the cold, calculating expression on his face instantly melted into something softer.
"Did you sleep?" he asked, pouring a cup of coffee and sliding it toward me.
"Better than I have in years," I admitted, wrapping my hands around the warm mug.
"My men picked up your cat. He's currently terrorizing the security team in the west wing."
I let out a startled laugh. "Barnaby is a menace. I'm sorry."
"I like him," Luca smirked slightly. But the smile vanished quickly. He tapped a finger against a file on the table.
"What did you find?" I asked, my chest tightening.
"The truth," Luca said, his voice dropping to a deadly register. "I spent the night with Elias."
A shiver ran down my spine. I didn't want to know what "spending the night" with a mafia boss meant when you had betrayed him.
"Elias confessed," Luca continued, staring out the window at the churning grey waters of Lake Michigan. "Three years ago, a rival family, the Rossettis, approached him. They promised him control of the Chicago docks if he removed me. He sabotaged the brakes on my sedan."
"But you weren't in it."
"No. Elena and Sophia were. When the car went off Ashwood Bridge, Elias thought his problem was solved. The Rossettis would attack in the chaos of my mourning. But then..."
Luca looked at me, awe and wonder in his eyes.
"You happened. A random waitress walking home from a diner jumped into a freezing river and ripped his perfect plan apart."
"Why didn't he just tell you I died in the river too?"
"Because the paramedics logged a second survivor. The hospital records showed a 'Jane Doe' who brought Sophia in. The media caught wind of a mysterious savior. Elias panicked. If I found you, if I investigated too closely to reward you, I might have retraced the steps of the accident. I might have found the cut brake lines before the evidence washed away."
"So he set up the fake voicemail," I realized, feeling sick. "He intercepted the foundation's calls. He threatened me to keep me quiet, hoping I'd disappear into the city."
"And you did," Luca said softly. "You hid out of fear. But you never stopped working the charity galas. You never stopped trying to see her from afar."
"I just needed to know she was okay. I saw her in that wheelchair... I blamed myself. I thought I pulled her out too late."
Luca stood up abruptly, closing the distance between us.
He reached out, his large, rough hand gently cupping my cheek. His thumb brushed over a faint, white scar on my jaw—a scar from the broken glass of the car window.
"Do not ever blame yourself," he whispered fiercely. "You gave her back to me. You gave her the will to stand up yesterday. You are the only light in this dark, cursed world I live in."
My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked up into his eyes, seeing the ruthless boss and the broken father all at once.
"Luca..."
"Boss!"
Marcus, the giant security chief, burst into the kitchen, his gun drawn.
"Perimeter breach. Three black vans just rammed the main gate. It's the Rossettis. They know Elias failed."
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Luca didn't flinch. His hand dropped from my face, and he seamlessly pulled a Glock from the holster at his waist.
"Lock down the safe room," Luca ordered, his voice suddenly ice cold. "Get Hannah and Sophia inside. Now."
