"“If You Can’t Accept Her, Get Out!” the Mafia Boss Told His Pregnant Wife—So She Walked Away Without Looking Back, Taking Their Unborn Child With Her. He Never Expected Her to Actually Leave.

Elena stepped away from the door.

"Who are you?"

"Someone who wants to help."

"Then tell me your name."

Silence.

She looked through the peephole.

A tall man in a charcoal coat stood in the hallway. His hands were visible, but his face was partly obscured by the shadow of his hat.

"Mrs. Moretti, your husband is looking for you. His people are already checking hospitals and airports."

"Then tell him to stop."

"He won't."

"That's his problem."

The man leaned closer to the door.

"Your problem is that Vanessa Sarto has been waiting four years for this pregnancy."

Elena's heart hammered.

Before she could respond, the man slipped a business card beneath the door.

"Ask your aunt about the night your mother died."

Then he walked away.

Elena waited until his footsteps disappeared before picking up the card.

It carried a single name.

Adrian Bell.

She recognized it immediately.

Adrian had been Dante's closest friend before a falling-out that had supposedly ended their relationship. He had disappeared from Chicago almost two years earlier after a warehouse fire killed three men connected to the Moretti organization.

Elena called Celia.

"Who is Adrian Bell?"

Celia exhaled.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"He came to my apartment."

"Did he tell you anything?"

"He mentioned my mother."

The silence that followed was answer enough.

"Celia, what happened the night my mother died?"

"Your mother was a good woman."

"That's not an answer."

"No. It isn't."

Elena sat on the edge of the bed.

"My mother died in a car accident when I was nineteen. The police said the brakes failed."

"That was the official report."

"And the truth?"

Celia's voice dropped.

"She was driving to Bellhaven. She had discovered something in the family accounts. Something involving Dante's father, Vanessa's father, and a trust established by your grandfather."

Elena looked at the document on her lap.

"The trust?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I promised your mother I would keep you away from that family."

Elena felt something inside her shift.

"You introduced me to Dante."

"I know."

"You encouraged our marriage."

"I believed he was different."

"And now?"

Celia did not answer.

A sudden noise came from the hallway. Elena moved to the door and looked through the peephole again.

The hallway was empty.

But her phone was ringing.

Dante.

She answered this time.

"Where are you?" he demanded.

"Somewhere you told me to go."

"Elena, don't play games."

"I'm not."

"Send me your location."

"No."

His breathing grew heavier.

"I've got men searching every road around Bellhaven. You could have been hurt."

"I was hurt. You just didn't notice."

"That's not fair."

"Neither was dinner."

He fell silent.

For a moment, Elena imagined him standing in his study, holding the ultrasound, looking at the image as if it were a contract he had failed to read.

"Come home," he said finally.

"To what?"

"To me."

She almost believed him.

That was the worst part.

"Is Vanessa still at Bellhaven?"

"She's staying in the guest house."

"Why?"

"Her father is dead. There are people trying to take over his business. I gave her protection."

"Protection from whom?"

"People who would use her against me."

Elena looked at the trust agreement.

"And what does she want?"

"Nothing from you."

"Then why did she ask to move onto my property?"

"Because she has nowhere else to go."

Elena closed her eyes.

"You've always got an explanation, Dante. Somehow, every time you hurt me, there's a reason I should understand."

"I never wanted you to leave."

"But you told me to."

"I was angry."

"And I was pregnant."

His voice softened.

"Let me come get you."

"No."

"Elena—"

"Goodbye."

She ended the call.

An hour later, Celia arrived.

She carried a leather handbag and an old photograph. In it, three people stood in front of Bellhaven: Dante's father, Elena's mother, and a younger man Elena recognized as Vanessa's father.

On the back was a date.

Four months before Elena's mother died.

Celia placed the photograph on the table.

"Your mother discovered that the Moretti family trust had been manipulated. Vanessa's father wanted control of it. Dante's father wanted to protect it. They were both willing to do terrible things."

"Why was my mother involved?"

"Because the original trust belonged to her family before it belonged to the Morettis."

Elena stared at her.

"What?"

"Your grandfather was not the man you thought he was. He was the son of a woman who married into the Moretti family. The bloodline everyone talks about is only half the story."

Celia opened the handbag and removed a sealed envelope.

"Your mother left this for you."

Elena's hands trembled as she opened it.

Inside was a letter.

My darling Elena,

If you're reading this, then the Moretti family has finally come for what they believe belongs to them.

Do not trust the man who tells you he loves you without explaining why he needs you.

And whatever happens, never let Vanessa Sarto near your child.

Elena looked up.

"Why Vanessa?"

Celia's face had gone pale.

"Because Vanessa was there the night your mother died."