Chapter 2 - Echoes from the Past
Luca pulled open the heavy front door, revealing his second-in-command, Dante, standing in the cold Chicago drizzle. Dante’s face was pale, his trench coat soaked through, clutching a thick, water-stained manila folder.
"Boss, we have a breach," Dante said urgently, ignoring Nora standing by the stairs. "The federal strike force in the Eastern District just secured a search warrant for the primary shipping manifests. But that’s not all. Someone leaked your personal marriage registry to the press."
Nora’s blood ran cold. She stepped forward. "What do you mean, our marriage registry?"
Dante hesitated, glancing sideways at Luca before answering. "It means, Mrs. Moretti, that your ex-husband didn't just let you go. Richard filed an emergency motion in civil court this morning claiming you were 'coerced and mentally unstable' when you signed away your custody rights and entered into a domestic arrangement with an unindicted syndicate boss. He's trying to drag you back into court to strip you of your independence—and use you to get to Luca."
The room seemed to spin. All the progress Nora had made—the quiet nights reading to Leo, the confidence blooming in her chest, the feeling of safety within these high stone walls—threatened to dissolve into dust.
Richard was back. Not because he cared about her, but because he couldn't stand the thought of her surviving without him, let alone thriving in a world he could never touch.
"He wants to destroy what we've built," Nora whispered, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the fabric of her skirt.
Luca turned back to her, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek. He closed the space between them in two strides, taking her cold hands in his large, warm palms.
"Listen to me, Nora," Luca said, his voice dropping into an absolute, unyielding vow. "Richard is a coward playing checkers in a war zone. He thinks he can use the law to break you. But he forgets one detail."
"What's that?" Nora breathed.
May you like
"You don't belong to him anymore," Luca snarled softly, his gray eyes burning with cold fire. "And anyone who tries to take you out of this house will have to go through me first."
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