All Chapters of The Wife He Forgot: Ashes to Empire: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

177 Chapters

The Messenger

POV: JAXONWe set another trap.With FBI assistance. Full surveillance. Maximum security.Because whoever was behind the letters, the photos, the threats, they were still out there.And we were done waiting.The plan was simple: make ourselves vulnerable. Draw them out.We announced publicly, carefully leaked through social media that the family was going on vacation."Two weeks in Europe. House will be empty. Just basic security."It was a lie.The kids were in a secure FBI facility. Same location as before, when we'd caught Kira.The house was wired with cameras, motion sensors, heat detectors. Every inch monitored.FBI agents were hidden in the crawl space, the attic, the garage. Watching. Waiting.And we waited.Day one: nothing.Day two: nothing.Day three: a pizza delivery guy (verified, clean, just delivering pizza to the neighbors)."This isn't working," Isla said, pacing the FBI command center where we monitored everything."Give it time," Agent Drew advised. "Whoever this is

Facing the Ghost

POV: ISLAGoing public was terrifying.But it was also the only weapon we had left.We'd tried hiding. We'd tried trapping. We'd tried everything.The only thing left was truth.Complete, unfiltered truth.We called a press conference.Major media outlets. National coverage.Our lawyer tried to talk us out of it. "This could backfire. Badly.""How?" Jaxon asked. "They're already harassing us. How could it be worse?""Public exposure invites copycats. Trolls. More threats.""Or it shines a light so bright that whoever Dante hired has to stop. Because the whole world is watching.""It's a gamble.""Everything we do is a gamble."The press conference was scheduled for the following week.We spent that time preparing. Writing statements. Gathering evidence.And telling our kids what was happening."We're going to tell everyone about the letters," I explained. "About Grandpa Dante's trust. About how someone's been trying to scare us.""Why?" Rowan asked."Because secrets give bad people po

The Family Decision

POV: ISLAThe meeting was in our living room two days later.Us. Agent Drew. Clifford. Mia.Financial investigators. Legal experts. Interpol liaison. Everyone we needed.Our coffee table was covered with files, laptops, documents."This is what we're proposing," Jaxon said. "We work with the FBI, Interpol, financial investigators, everyone to find every trust, every account, every loyalist. And we destroy it. Permanently.""That's a full-time job," Agent Drew warned. "Could take months. Years, even. And it's dangerous. You'll be making yourselves targets.""We're already targets," I pointed out."True. But passive targets. Once you start actively investigating, dismantling operations, following money trails, you become active threats. People will retaliate.""Let them try," Jaxon said quietly. "We're done being afraid."One of the financial investigators, a woman named Dr. Ruth spoke up."I've been analyzing Dante's financial network for the FBI. It's extensive. Layered. Sophisticated

La Sombra

POV: JAXONThe bait had to be irresistible.Something La Sombra couldn't ignore. Something that would force them out of hiding.We brainstormed with the FBI for days."What would threaten them most?" Agent Drew asked."Exposure," I said. "Complete exposure. Names. Operations. Everything Dante built that they're still protecting.""So we threaten to expose it all?""We don't threaten. We announce it."The plan: announce we're writing a third book.A comprehensive exposé of the Romano family that would reveal EVERYTHING.Names that were never made public in the trial. Accounts that were never found. Operations that were never exposed.It was partially true, we were compiling information, documenting everything we'd learned.But mostly, it was bait.If La Sombra was truly dedicated to protecting Dante's legacy, they couldn't let that book be published.They'd have to stop us. Which meant revealing themselves.We made the announcement through traditional media.Press release. Interview wi

Vivian's Revenge

POV: JAXONVivian circled me slowly.Predatory. Controlled. Enjoying my shock."How?" I finally managed. "They confirmed your death. Autopsy. Death certificate. Everything.""Money buys anything, Jaxon. You should know that. Dante taught us both.""You've been hiding for three years?""Planning. Not hiding. There's a difference."She sat on a crate across from me. Relaxed. In control."Dante visited me in prison. Two months before he died. Did you know that?"I didn't."He knew you'd destroy everything. The family. The business. The legacy. So he created insurance.""You.""Me. He gave me access to accounts. Instructions. Contacts. Everything I'd need to continue his work after he was gone.""Why?" I asked. "Why do this? You were free. You could have started over. Built a new life."Her face twisted with rage."Free? You think I was FREE? I rotted in that prison for four years! Four years while you and Isla got your perfect little life. Your perfect little family. Your happily ever af

Jaxon Hospitalized

POV: ISLAThe call came at 9:47 PM.Clifford. Voice tight."Isla. Jaxon's been shot. He's alive. Heading to Mount Sinai Hospital. You need to come now."My world stopped."Shot? How?""I'll explain when you get here. Mia's on her way to stay with the kids.""Is he…""He's conscious. Talking. But you need to come."I was in the car before the call ended.The drive was a blur.Fifteen minutes that felt like hours.My mind racing. Jaxon shot. By who? How bad?Please don't let me lose him. Not now. Not after everything.I pulled into the hospital. Emergency entrance. FBI agents everywhere.Clifford met me at the door."Where is he?""Surgery. Gunshot wound to the shoulder. Through and through. He'll be okay.""You're sure?""The doctors are sure. No major arteries hit. Clean wound. He was lucky."Lucky. My husband was shot and he was lucky."What happened?" I demanded."Vivian. It was Vivian.""Vivian's dead""No. She faked her death three years ago. She's been orchestrating everything. L

Healing, Finally

POV: JAXONThree months after Vivian's death.My shoulder had healed. Mostly.Still some stiffness. Some pain when it rained. But functional.The physical wounds always healed faster than the emotional ones.The FBI closed their investigation.All of Dante's posthumous accounts frozen. Twenty-three people arrested. The network dismantled.For the first time in nearly two decades, there were no active threats.No letters. No surveillance. No shadows.Just... quiet.It was unsettling."I don't know how to live without looking over my shoulder," I admitted to Isla one night."Me neither. But we'll learn. Together."The family slowly returned to normal.The kids went back to school. Regular school. No more homeschooling, no more lockdowns.Rowan joined the school orchestra. Piano. He was talented. Really talented.Nova made the soccer team. Competitive. Fierce. Everything she did, she did at full intensity.Asher thrived in his robotics club. Building things. Creating. His room was full o

Seven Years Later

POV: ISLASeven years later.So much had changed. And yet, in the ways that mattered, everything stayed the same.We were still us. Still fighting. Still loving. Still choosing each other every single day.Just older. Wiser. More scarred but stronger for it.I was forty-seven now.Jaxon was fifty-three. Silver at his temples. Laugh lines around his eyes.He'd never looked more handsome.We'd survived years of chaos and also years of peace.And we were thriving.The kids had grown.ROWAN was sixteen. Tall, taller than Jaxon now. Thoughtful. Quiet. Gifted pianist.He spent hours at the piano. Losing himself in Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff.His music teacher said he had "rare talent." That he could go professional if he wanted.He was applying to colleges early. Juilliard. Berklee. Curtis. The best music schools in the country.My baby. Going to college.NOVA was sixteen too. But so different from her brother.Fierce. Athletic. Captain of her varsity soccer team.She'd decided she wan

Nova's Fire

POV: NOVAI'm not scared like Rowan.I'm ANGRY.Really, really angry.That stupid article. Those stupid people who don't even know us.Writing about us like we're zoo animals. Like we're destined to be criminals just because of our last name.It's bullshit. Complete bullshit.At school, people whispered.I heard them in the hallways. Saw them looking at their phones. At me."That's her. One of the Romano twins.""I heard her grandfather killed like fifty people.""Do you think she's dangerous?"I wanted to scream. Or punch something. Or both.Instead, I walked past them. Head high. Jaw clenched.Pretending I didn't care.But I cared… I cared so much.In history class, Mr. Peterson was talking about organized crime in America.Of course. Of COURSE today was the day."The Romano family," he said, clicking to a slide with Dante's photo, "was one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the East Coast."I sank lower in my seat.Please don't. Please don't mention…"Interestingly, the

Rowan's Scholarship

POV: JAXONThe envelope arrived on a Tuesday.Juilliard. The most prestigious music school in the world.Rowan held it with shaking hands."I can't open it.""Want me to?" Isla asked."No. Yes. I don't know."He'd been waiting for this for weeks. The culmination of auditions, interviews, essays.His dream school."Whatever it says, we're proud of you," I told him.He nodded. Took a breath. Opened it.Read silently.Then his face broke into the biggest smile I'd seen in months."I got in."We celebrated. The whole family.Dinner at Rowan's favorite restaurant."You're going to Juilliard!" Grace kept saying. "That's so cool!""It's just school," Rowan said, but he was beaming."It's not just school," Nova corrected. "It's JUILLIARD. That's like... the Harvard of music.""Actually, it's better than Harvard for music," Asher added. Ever literal.Isla raised her glass. "To Rowan. The first Winters to attend Juilliard. We're so incredibly proud."The scholarship was full tuition.Merit-base

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