Leonardo returned home late that night. After Ava’s prenatal check-up, he had dropped her off at her place and gone straight to the office, unable to bring himself to face Sofia.All day, he’d questioned Ava again and again, desperately hoping for a different answer.But each time, she calmly repeated the same truth: the child she was carrying was his. One reckless mistake—just one—and the only one he had no memory of, made in a moment when he wasn’t even in his senses, was now tearing his entire world apart. There was a moment when he had even considered asking Ava to terminate the pregnancy. But she refused. The doctor had warned her that it could endanger her life, and she wouldn’t take that risk.Leonardo had been willing to go that far—not because he didn’t care about the unborn child, but because he couldn’t bear the thought of hurting Sofia. He would’ve done anything to protect her from this truth. But now it was too late. The damage was done.Still, it was his child. His blo
Sofia was in one of her restaurants, inspecting the operations to ensure everything was running smoothly, when her phone rang. Seeing the number of Lucia’s kindergarten teacher made her furrow her brows with an unknown sense of worry. A sick feeling settled in her stomach before she even answered.“Hello?”“Mrs. Morelli,” said the nervous voice on the other end. “This is Miss Elena from St. Agnes Kindergarten. Lucia slipped on the playground steps during recess. She hit her head—there was some bleeding. We’ve already called an ambulance. She’s on her way to Santa Maria Hospital.”Sofia’s heart dropped into her stomach. “Bleeding? Oh my God. I—I’m on my way. Thank you.”She barely remembered grabbing her bag or rushing down the elevator. The next thirty minutes were a blur of frantic driving, whispered prayers, and worst-case scenarios. When she reached the hospital, she was directed to the pediatric ER. The sterile smell hit her first, then the sight of tiny children with scrapes and
Leonardo didn’t go home.He drove straight to the hospital, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, jaw locked in cold fury and every second away from her made it harder to breathe. Every red light felt like an eternity. His heart only knew one language now: to reach her, see her, touch her, feel her. He parked recklessly and sprinted through the entrance, ignoring the calls from security and nurses asking him to calm down.Now, outside the examination room, he paced the hallway like a madman. His fingers curled into fists. His jaw clenched. He kept glancing toward the closed door, praying for good news. Time was dragging, and every second without her felt like torture.Finally, the door creaked open, and a doctor stepped out, removing her gloves.Leonardo rushed forward. “Doctor? My wife… how is she? And the baby?” His voice trembled despite his best efforts to stay composed.The doctor offered a reassuring smile. “There’s no need to worry, Mr. Morelli. Though she’s sustained some
Domenico’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “Enzo’s on foot. South perimeter. Heading toward the ravine. We’re cutting him off.”Leonardo gently handed Sofia to one of his men. “Take her to the car. Don't let her out of your sight. Call the doctor. Now.”She clung to his shirt. “Leonardo…”He kissed her forehead, his jaw clenched. “I’ll be back, angel. I promise. Just close your eyes. You don’t need to see what comes next.”He turned, eyes cold, heart pounding—not with fear this time, but with fire.He stormed out the front door, gun in hand, footsteps pounding through the muddy trail Enzo had taken in his desperate escape.The moon cast a pale glow through the trees, shadows flitting past like ghosts. Domenico and two others were up ahead, cutting off Enzo’s exit.“There!” Domenico shouted.Enzo stumbled, bloodied and limping, barely keeping pace as he scrambled through the brush. He turned, saw them, eyes wide with panic.“Don’t shoot!” he screamed. “I surrender!”But Leonardo w
Leonardo’s heart thundered in his chest as they pulled up to the remote property Enzo had been hiding in. It was heavily guarded—but so were they.With silent gestures, they surrounded the place. Then, chaos erupted. Gunfire blazed in every direction. His men stormed the perimeter, taking down Enzo’s guards one by one with precise shots. Domenico moved with calculated swiftness, giving orders while firing, while Leonardo’s eyes burned with only one mission—Sofia.As Domenico swept the ground floor, Leonardo darted up the stairs two at a time, blood roaring in his ears. He kicked open door after door—empty bedrooms, storage spaces, closets. Each one stoked his fear.Then he saw it. A heavy wooden door was tucked in the corner of the hallway, unlit and ominous.Something in his gut twisted.He ran.With a growl of fury, he kicked the door open—and his world stopped.There she was.Sofia.Pinned beneath Enzo, crying, fighting, helpless.A red haze clouded his vision.“You son of a bitch!
Without knocking, Enzo barged into the dimly lit room where Sofia was held captive.The door slammed against the wall, jarring the silence.Sofia stirred from her restless sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, still puffy from crying, her limbs heavy from exhaustion. But the moment she saw him standing there—uninvited, unhinged—her entire body stiffened with dread.She sat up slowly, sliding her feet off the edge of the bed and planting them firmly on the floor, willing herself to be steady. Her heart pounded in her chest, adrenaline shooting through her veins.“Enzo,” she said, her voice low and guarded. “What’s going on? When are you going to let me go? Can’t you just let me go?” Desperation laced her voice.He didn’t answer. He crossed the room in seconds, eyes wild with lust, and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her toward him.“What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped, struggling to break free. “Get your hands off me!”“No, baby,” he hissed, tightening his grip. The stench of alcoh