Chapter 7 - The Fall of the Empire
Damian Caruso was a man of his word. The retaliation was swift, silent, and entirely devastating. He didn't just attack the Moretti family; he systematically dismantled their entire empire piece by piece. Financial assets were frozen, safehouses were raided in the dead of night, and corrupt officials on their payroll were suddenly exposed to the media. Within forty-eight hours, the most feared syndicate in the country was brought to its knees.
But Damian saved the mastermind for last. He didn't kill Victor Moretti. Instead, he completely ruined him, leaving him to rot in a federal maximum-security prison with irrefutable evidence of human trafficking ensuring he would never see daylight again. But there was one final loose end remaining: Dr. Aris. Damian had him brought to a secure warehouse on the edge of the city, and he didn't go alone. He brought me. "You need closure," Damian had told me on the drive over. "You need to look the monster in the eye and show him he didn't break you."
When we walked into the warehouse, Dr. Aris was tied to a steel chair. He looked pathetic—sweating, trembling, and begging for his life. He didn't look anything like the arrogant, authoritative doctor who had coldly told me my baby was dead. When he saw me, his eyes widened in sheer horror. "You," he gasped. "Me," I said, my voice steady and icy cold. Damian stood behind me, a silent, lethal shadow, giving me the floor.
May you like
"Why?" I asked, stepping closer to the man who ruined my life. "Why did you do it?" Aris sobbed violently. "Money! The Morettis paid me a fortune for healthy newborns. I was just a pawn! They made me do it!" I stared at him with pure disgust. "You took a mother's child," I said, my voice ringing through the empty warehouse. "You told me she was dead. You watched me break, and you counted your money." I leaned in close. "You are nothing but a coward."
I turned away from him, looking at Damian. "I'm done with him." Damian nodded to his men. "Take him to the authorities. Include the ledgers proving he sold children. Let the prison population find out exactly what kind of doctor he is." Aris screamed as they dragged him away, but I didn't look back. A massive weight lifted off my chest, and the ghosts of Zurich were finally laid to rest. I walked out of the warehouse into the bright sunlight, breathing freely for the first time in two years, with Damian's hand slipping naturally into mine. We were finally free.
