Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO FEARED LOSING ME
Adrian Viscari’s mansion was exactly what I expected.
Huge.
Cold.
Beautiful.
And completely empty.
The kind of place where every wall had a story.
But none of them were happy.
I walked inside carrying nothing except my purse.
Adrian looked at me.
“You should have packed more.”
I laughed bitterly.
“I didn’t plan on moving into a mafia mansion today.”
For a second…
Something changed in his face.
Almost amusement.
Almost normal.
“You make jokes when you’re scared.”
I looked at him.
“And you pretend you’re not scared when you are.”
The room went silent.
Nobody talked to Adrian Viscari like that.
But he didn’t get angry.
He just watched me.
“You’re different from Elena.”
The words hurt more than I expected.
“Because I’m not her?”
His expression changed.
“I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did.”
I looked away.
“Everyone keeps looking at me like I’m someone else.”
Adrian became quiet.
Then he said:
“Because you look exactly like the woman I lost.”
The honesty in his voice surprised me.
For the first time, I saw past the reputation.
Past the tattoos.
Past the fear.
I saw a husband who never healed.
A father trying to raise a child alone.
A man who had lost everything.
A small cry interrupted us.
Luca.
The baby was awake.
The moment he saw me…
His arms reached out.
Adrian noticed.
Again.
That impossible reaction.
“You see?”
He whispered.
“He knows something.”
I took Luca from him.
The baby immediately relaxed.
Adrian watched silently.
“Did Elena ever talk about me?”
I asked.
He looked away.
“Every day.”
My heart tightened.
“What did she say?”
A small smile appeared.
“She said I was too serious.”
I laughed softly.
“That sounds accurate.”
“She said I needed someone who would make me laugh.”
“And did you?”
His eyes met mine.
“Yes.”
The answer was unexpected.
“Then what happened?”
The smile disappeared.
“Someone took her away.”
The room became cold.
Before I could ask more, Adrian’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
A pause.
“Are you sure?”
He looked at me.
Then at Luca.
“We have a problem.”
I stood.
“What happened?”
He ended the call.
“My security team found something.”
“What?”
“A hidden room.”
I frowned.
“Where?”
“In my old house.”
I didn’t understand.
“What does that have to do with me?”
Adrian looked at me.
“Because inside that room…”
He swallowed.
“Was a picture of you.”
My heart stopped.
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
His voice was serious.
“It gets worse.”
He stepped closer.
“The picture was taken twenty-eight years ago.”
I felt dizzy.
“That can’t be me.”
Adrian looked at Luca.
Then back at me.
“I know.”
A terrible thought entered my mind.
“What are you saying?”
He hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Mara…”
“Your mother may not have raised you because you were her daughter.”
The world went silent.
“Your mother may have raised you…”
May you like
His voice dropped.
“Because she was protecting you from who you really are.”
