she's back!

CHAPTER 3

Five Years Later.

It's been exactly five years since I walked out of my family home and flew down to Italy with a man I barely knew and a child I knew wasn't his. But look how time flies! It's been five years now, and I can't believe that I'm back in New York with my son, Jaden.

Five years ago, I didn't just leave home,I left my hometown entirely and everything it had given me over the years. Now, I was going back—not because I had any desire to confront my past or to see my ex-fiancé or my father, but because it was time to chase my dreams, and I also wanted to show Jaden my family when the time is due.He deserves something real, especially since his whole existence has been a lie regarding who he thinks is his father.

“Mommy, !” I push the cart around the mall as I watch my four-year-old son cheer me on. I just smile and caress his head as we continue while he squeals in delight.

“Okay, Jaden, we are done here for today,” I said, and he kicked and wiggled as I pushed my cart to the counter to pay for my goods. Jaden keeps looking around in search of his friends, most of whom he calls “Uncle.” About four men are with us inside the mall, stationed at different corners to protect me and Jaden.

I left home five years ago. Five years ago, I ran away from home and got into an accident that almost took my life, but he saved me that night. His name is Alessandro, and he is the devil himself. Well, not just the devil he is my husband now, and I have learned to live with him since he saved me. We now have a child together.

I ran away after my father never believed in me, and my sister betrayed me. And for the stranger that slept with me that night? I didn't even get his name or know what he looked like. But each time I stay with Alessandro, I have this tiring thought that Jaden is not his child. Less than twenty-four hours after I slept with him, the doctor checked and announced that I was pregnant and Alessandro quickly claimed it.

A baby couldn't have formed in less than twenty-four hours, right?

But either way, I didn't push it. Once he claimed Jaden as his child, we entered into a contract marriage. I never got to tell him about my fears regarding Jaden not being his, especially since the stranger had disappeared into thin air. I couldn't risk my parents and my sister finding out that I was pregnant; the shame and embarrassment would have swallowed me.

But in just five years, a lot of things have changed. I now move around with an entourage of armed and intimidating men. When I was coming back to New York, Alessandro didn't really agree and proposed sending me some men to always protect me. Well, I declined. I wasn't a kid, and this is my hometown. As I paid for my goods, I couldn't wait to get to the house he bought us so I could unpack and send these men back to Italy. I hate seeing them around, even if I know they mean well. I really don't want my child to grow up around them or in an environment like that.

Alessandro is the Don of the Moretti mafia family, one of the most notorious I have ever heard of in my entire life. He is also the head of the Lucci cartel, which he inherited from his mother, making him the ruthless man he is.

Five years ago, when I left here, I didn't look back. Once I was discharged from the hospital, I agreed to live with Alessandro. I had no choice then, but now I was back to pursue my personal business. I have some companies I really want to partner with while I also work as an intern for some of them. I didn't really tell Alessandro what I was coming here to do. If I told him I was coming to work for someone, I'm sure he'd disagree. He sees me as his wife, even if it is just a contract marriage.

I changed my name and never looked back. I now bear Alessandro's surname with the middle name my maternal grandmother gave me. No one would know it's me. My bar and club in Italy are doing so well, and it's all thanks to Alessandro. He made it all possible, but I can't keep hiding that this is the kind of dark life I wanted… No! I want to be a top attorney.I want to have a firm to help people. I want to be on the cover of Vogue one day for my influence.

It's been five years, but a lot hasn't changed in this city. As we drove, I still remembered everything vividly; it came flashing back.

“Mommy, look…” Jaden nudged me and pointed at a statue.

Even if I wasn't feeling so good, the nostalgia hit me, and I smiled. “It's beautiful, baby.”

Well, that is one thing about motherhood: it has changed everything about me and how I think. I just have to put on a happy face for him always.

Once we got to the house we would be staying in, it was nothing like the Moretti mansion back in Italy.

It wasn't gigantic, with different men stationed at every nook and corner, but it was a home.

With its mini white fence, it was a three-bedroom cozy apartment that had everything a normal house should have.

The driver finally parked in front of our luxurious apartment. “Here we are, little king!” he announced, tickling Jaden playfully.

Jaden responded with a bright smile. “Mummy, it looks very beautiful but so small,” he remarked.

“Will it be able to contain us all?” he asked seriously.

A radiant smile lit up my face as I replied, “Of course, we’re just three, Jaden. It’s enough for us.”

He nodded, though his eyes remained glued to the apartment, doubt lingering in his expression. After all, he had spent his life in a magnificent mansion filled with luxury.

Zack, one of my husband’s most trusted and dangerous men, along with Jaden’s nanny, Jane, helped carry our things inside. Once they were done, I thanked Zack and bid him farewell, and he did the same for Jaden. I watched them play together, exchanging a playful mafia handshake before Jaden let him go.

As he left, I heaved a deep sigh of relief. I was glad Zack was gone. Initially, Alessandro had wanted to assign three men to me for my safety in New York, but after enough arguments, I agreed to go with just a nanny instead. I didn't want to create a fuss walking around with men who looked rugged and dangerous. I didn’t need their help for now—unless I needed them to kick Luca's ass!

A knot of excitement twisted in my stomach as Jane took Jaden inside, and I followed closely behind.

Taking Jaden’s hand, whose eyes were wide with wonder, I showed him around the apartment. It was cozy yet comfortable, and his father hadn’t forgotten to add a playground for him.

That was so sweet of him. Meanwhile, Jaden quickly jumped into the playground while Jane followed closely to ensure he didn’t injure himself.

I settled into a plush loveseat in the sitting room with a serene expression.

A few minutes later, I was in the kitchen with Jane, trying to make Jaden’s favorite drink when he interrupted us.

“Mommy! Mommy!” he called out as he walked into the kitchen. I turned to him with a soft smile.

“What is it, Jaden?”

“Can you get me this? I love it.” He pointed, holding out his iPad so I could see. I gently crouched down, a radiant smile on my face, eager to see what had caught his attention.

“I want this!” He pointed at a neckpiece, and my eyes widened in disbelief. A chill ran down my spine as I quickly took the iPad from him to take a closer look, hoping it wasn’t my long-lost neckpiece—the one I had lost the day I was disowned.

How on earth was it on eBay? I thought, still gazing at it in surprise.

Who could possibly be selling my neckpiece on eBay? That piece is priceless; it’s the only thing I have that reminds me of my mother.

“Mommy, would you buy it for me?” Jaden’s voice jolted me from my thoughts.

I forced a smile and replied, “Of course, baby, I will buy it for you.”