Chapter 3 - THE HOUSE WITH NO WINDOWS
Luca’s estate sat behind iron gates in Westchester.
Calling it a house felt ridiculous.
It looked like a stone fortress.
Security cameras covered every entrance.
Armed guards stood near the driveway.
The windows were reinforced.
I stared at the place.
“You live here?”
“When necessary.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It’s the safest property I own.”
That did not comfort me.
Inside, a private nurse examined the baby while Luca stood near the doorway.
I refused to let my daughter out of my sight.
The nurse smiled gently.
“She’s healthy.”
I let out a breath.
“Any name?”
I looked down.
Derek and I had once planned to call her Madison.
Now the name felt contaminated.
“I don’t know yet.”
The nurse nodded.
“No rush.”
After she left, Luca placed a folder on the table.
Inside were photographs.
My apartment.
My office.
My grocery store.
Me walking through Central Park.
Me entering prenatal appointments.
I stared at them.
“You had me followed?”
“Some of those are mine.”
“Some?”
He pointed to a set taken from much farther away.
“Those are not.”
My skin crawled.
“Who took them?”
“We found them in a rented storage unit yesterday.”
“How did you find the unit?”
“I was searching for records connected to Sofia.”
I looked at the photographs.
One showed Derek kissing Brittany outside a hotel.
I froze.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Three weeks.”
I slapped him.
The sound cracked across the room.
His guards moved instantly.
Luca raised one hand.
They stopped.
I stared at him, shaking.
“You knew he was cheating.”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I was trying to determine whether he was involved in something more serious.”
“You let me walk into that hospital believing he loved me.”
“I had no right to interfere.”
I laughed bitterly.
“But signing my daughter’s birth certificate was fine?”
Luca’s jaw tightened.
“That was different.”
“How?”
“Because he rejected her in front of me.”
“And you couldn’t stand it?”
“No.”
His voice dropped.
“Because I made that mistake once.”
I went silent.
He looked toward the photograph of Sofia.
“My father told me Sofia had betrayed me.”
“What happened?”
“I believed him.”
The words sounded painful.
“I accused her.”
My anger softened slightly.
“What did she say?”
“That I would regret it.”
He looked at the floor.
“She was right.”
Before I could answer, an alarm sounded.
Loud.
Immediate.
Red lights flashed along the hallway.
Luca moved instantly.
“Take the baby.”
“What’s happening?”
His bodyguard rushed in.
“East gate breach.”
Luca pulled a handgun from inside his jacket.
My entire body froze.
“Stay behind me.”
A crash echoed somewhere downstairs.
Then gunfire.
The baby began crying.
I pressed her against my chest.
Luca looked at his guard.
“Safe room.”
The guard grabbed my arm.
I jerked away.
“I’m not leaving without Luca.”
Luca stared at me.
For a split second, he looked surprised.
Then another shot cracked through the house.
“Go!”
The guard pulled me into a hidden hallway.
The door slammed behind us.
We moved down concrete stairs.
Then the lights went out.
The guard cursed.
In the darkness, my baby screamed.
May you like
And somewhere behind us, a voice whispered through the corridor.
“Emma.”
