Chapter 7 - THE MISSING WEDDING RING
The drive back to the estate was silent.
The storm had broken, leaving the streets of Chicago slick and reflecting the amber glow of the streetlights.
In the back of the SUV, Sophie had fallen asleep, her head resting on Emily’s lap.
Emily stroked the little girl’s hair, her own eyes heavy with exhaustion.
Luca sat in the front passenger seat.
He hadn't spoken since they left the train yard.
He was staring out the window, his jaw clenched, processing the magnitude of the betrayal that had infiltrated his home.
They arrived at the estate just as the sun began to rise.
The massive iron gates opened.
The grounds were swarming with loyal guards.
Marco had already secured the perimeter and dealt with the remaining traitors.
Luca carried Sophie upstairs to her bedroom, tucking her into her warm bed.
Emily followed, watching from the doorway as the feared mafia boss gently kissed his daughter’s forehead.
He stepped out into the hallway and quietly closed the door.
He looked at Emily.
She was still wearing his oversized coat, looking pale and exhausted.
“Come to the kitchen,” Luca said gently.
The kitchen was empty.
The morning staff had been told to stay in their quarters.
Luca didn't call for a servant.
He walked over to the massive espresso machine, filled a kettle, and began making tea.
Emily sat at the marble island, watching him.
It was surreal.
The man who had executed a traitor without blinking a few hours ago was now carefully steeping chamomile tea.
He set a steaming mug in front of her.
“Drink,” he said. “It will help the shivering.”
Emily wrapped her bruised hands around the warm mug.
“Thank you, Mr. Moretti.”
“Luca,” he corrected softly, sitting on the stool next to her. “After tonight, you never call me Mr. Moretti again.”
Emily looked down at her tea.
“What will happen to Caroline?”
“The Commission will handle her,” Luca said, his voice flat. “She broke their rules by using their name. She will disappear. Nobody will ever look for her.”
Emily shuddered, but she knew it was the reality of his world.
Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue envelope.
He placed it on the marble counter between them.
“I owe you an apology, Emily.”
Emily looked up in surprise.
“For what?”
“I brought that woman into this house. I let her near my daughter. If you hadn't refused to shred these letters, I never would have known the truth.”
“You were grieving,” Emily said softly. “She took advantage of that.”
Luca shook his head.
“A man in my position cannot afford to be blind.”
He traced the edge of the blue envelope.
“Isabella was trying to protect me. She carried the weight of Marcus’s death alone for six years. I failed her.”
Emily reached out and gently placed her hand over his.
It was a bold move for a housekeeper, but she didn't care.
“You didn't fail her, Luca. You raised a beautiful, kind daughter. And tonight, you saved her.”
Luca looked at her hand resting on his.
His dark eyes softened.
Before he could speak, the kitchen door swung open.
It was Marco.
He looked exhausted, holding a small plastic evidence bag in his hand.
“Boss. We finished clearing Caroline’s room.”
Luca withdrew his hand, sitting up straight.
“Did you find anything else?”
Marco walked over and placed the plastic bag on the counter.
Inside was a delicate diamond ring.
Emily gasped.
Luca stared at the ring.
All the warmth vanished from his face.
“That’s Isabella’s wedding ring,” Luca whispered.
“We found it sewn into the lining of Caroline’s suitcase,” Marco said.
Luca picked up the bag.
His hands shook.
“The night Isabella died in the hospital... the nurses told me her ring had to be removed because her fingers were swelling. They said it got lost in the laundry.”
Marco looked grim.
“Caroline was a nurse at that hospital, Boss. We found her old ID badge in the trash.”
The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place.
Caroline hadn't just hunted Luca after Isabella died.
She had been there the night Isabella passed away.
She had stood over Isabella’s bed, stolen her wedding ring, and watched her die.
Luca’s grip on the plastic bag tightened until his knuckles turned white.
The sheer, obsessive malice of it was almost incomprehensible.
Emily felt a cold chill run down her spine.
“She wanted to be her,” Emily whispered. “She didn't just want the money. She wanted Isabella’s entire life.”
Luca stood up abruptly.
His chair scraped loudly against the marble floor.
“I need a minute,” he said roughly.
He turned and walked out the back door, stepping out into the cold morning air.
Marco watched him go.
Then he looked at Emily.
“He loved her,” Marco said quietly. “But Isabella’s death broke something in him. He’s been a ghost for two years.”
Marco leaned against the counter.
“But last night, in that train yard... when he thought he had lost Sophie. And when he saw them drag you out of that tunnel...”
Marco met Emily’s eyes.
“He woke up, Emily. For the first time in two years, he woke up.”
Emily’s heart gave a strange flutter.
Before she could process what Marco was saying, the sound of small, bare feet pattered against the floorboards.
Sophie stood in the kitchen doorway.
She was holding her stuffed rabbit, rubbing her eyes.
“Emily?”
Emily instantly slid off the stool and hurried to her.
“I'm here, sweetie. Why are you awake?”
Sophie looked up, her lower lip trembling.
“I had a bad dream. Can you stay with me?”
Emily smiled warmly, picking the little girl up.
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“I’m not going anywhere, Sophie. I promise.”
TITLE: THE MORNING AFTER
