All Chapters of The promise he broke : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Tayla's POVThe woman didn't run.She didn't hide.She simply stood across the street, one hand resting on the strap of her handbag, her cream-colored coat swaying gently in the evening breeze.For several long seconds, the noise of the city faded.Cars disappeared.People disappeared.It felt as though the entire world had narrowed until only two women remained.Me.And her.The woman Michael had called Isabella Salazar.Victor Salazar's daughter.The woman who was supposed to have died eight years ago.She watched me with calm, unreadable eyes before turning toward the corner café.Not once did she look back.It wasn't fear.It was an invitation.My heart pounded.Every instinct screamed at me to walk away.But another voice whispered louder.This is the woman who knows why Damian sacrificed everything.I crossed the street.The café was nearly empty.Soft jazz floated through hidden speakers, and the smell of roasted coffee beans lingered in the air.Isabella sat in the far corner

Tayla's POVI barely slept.The letter Isabella had given me lay on the bedside table, folded neatly beside the silver key.Every time I closed my eyes, one sentence echoed inside my head.The truth is buried where everything began.Where did everything begin?The Russo Group?Victor Salazar?Or something even older?I didn't know.But I intended to find out.The following morning, I dropped Noah off at school as usual.He kissed my cheek before running toward the playground.Halfway there, he suddenly turned around."Mom?""Yes?""When is Daddy coming home?"The question hit harder than usual.Tayla forced a smile."Soon."It wasn't an answer.It was a promise.One she prayed she could keep.---As soon as Noah disappeared into the school building, Tayla drove straight to Michael Bennett's office.He was already waiting.His desk was covered with maps, old newspapers and court files."You look like you haven't slept.""I haven't."She placed Isabella's letter and the silver key on hi

Tayla's POV I didn't tell Michael about the address. I didn't tell Emily. And I definitely didn't tell Luca. The folded piece of paper remained tucked inside my wallet all night, its edges already beginning to crease from how many times I'd unfolded it just to stare at the words. Raven Storage Warehouse. Unit 19. Who had left it? Luca? Someone pretending to be Luca? Or was I being led into another trap? After what happened in the alley, common sense told me to stay away. But common sense hadn't cleared Damian's name. It hadn't explained Victor Salazar's death. And it certainly hadn't told me why people were willing to kill over secrets buried eight years ago. If the answers were inside Unit 19... I had to see them. --- The next morning, Tayla dropped Noah at school. She lingered longer than usual. Watching him laugh with his classmates. Watching him disappear into the building. A strange fear settled in her chest. For the first time, she understood why Damian h

Tayla's POVThe rain hadn't stopped.It drummed against the windshield as Luca drove through the empty streets, his hands gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary.Neither of us had spoken for almost twenty minutes.My heartbeat had finally slowed, but my mind refused to.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the gun pointed at me.The men chasing me.The fear in Luca's face when he found me lying on the ground.He had looked terrified.Not the kind of fear someone fakes.The kind that comes from believing they're about to lose someone."You should let me take you to the hospital," he said quietly."I'm fine.""You've said that three times.""And I mean it."He glanced at me briefly before looking back at the road."No, Tayla. You're in shock."I turned toward the rain-streaked window."I just want to go home."---Luca pulled into my driveway just after sunset.Every light in the house was on.Emily's car.Michael's SUV.Two police cruisers.My stomach tightened.The moment I

Tayla's POVThe front door exploded inward with a deafening crash.Splinters of wood flew across the hallway as four masked men stormed into the house with guns raised. Their heavy boots pounded against the hardwood floor, their movements disciplined, almost military."Clear the downstairs!" one of them barked."Find the woman!" another shouted."And kill Luca Russo!"The words echoed through the house like a death sentence.Luca's jaw tightened."So this is how Marcus repays loyalty," he muttered bitterly.Michael pressed a finger to his lips before raising his pistol. He motioned for everyone to stay low.Emily quickly wrapped one arm around Isabella and helped her crawl behind the kitchen island. Isabella was weak from blood loss, but her eyes remained alert."Tayla," Michael whispered.I looked at him."Get Noah."I nodded without hesitation.---Every step toward the staircase felt heavier than the last.The shouting downstairs grew louder.Furniture crashed.Glass shattered.So