Chapter 1 - The Encounter
Luca took one step toward our table.
Then another.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me to take the children and leave.
But it was already too late.
He had seen them.
And judging by the look on Luca Moretti's face, my billionaire ex-husband had just realized the question wasn't whether those twins could possibly be his.
It was why I had allowed him to spend years believing they didn't exist.
The exclusive Chicago restaurant suddenly felt entirely too small.
The gentle clinking of expensive silverware faded into the background.
My son, Leo, tugged on my sleeve again.
"Mom, why is that man staring at us?" Leo asked loudly.
Before I could formulate a lie, Luca was standing directly over our table.
He didn't look at me.
His dark, intense eyes were entirely locked on the faces of my five-year-old children.
They shared his exact jawline.
They had his thick, dark hair.
But it was the eyes that made the truth completely undeniable.
"Nia," Luca whispered, his voice sounding completely hollow.
I grabbed my purse with trembling hands.
"We were just leaving," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
I stood up and reached for my daughter's hand.
Luca shifted his massive frame, effortlessly blocking my path to the exit.
"How old are they?" he demanded.
His voice was no longer a whisper.
It was the cold, commanding tone of a man who owned entire city blocks.
"That is none of your business, Luca," I replied.
Evelyn, his beautiful new wife, finally caught up to him.
She placed her perfectly manicured hand on his tailored suit jacket.
"Luca, darling, what is going on?" Evelyn asked.
Then her eyes landed on the twins.
I watched the color completely drain from her flawless face.
She recognized the resemblance instantly.
"Move out of my way," I told Luca.
He leaned closer to me, bringing the familiar scent of expensive cedar and rain.
"We divorced five years and nine months ago," Luca calculated quietly.
His eyes flashed with a dangerous, terrifying rage.
"Do not make a scene in front of my children," I warned him.
Luca finally looked directly into my eyes.
"You have exactly one hour to bring them to my penthouse, or I am calling my lawyers."
I grabbed both of my children by their hands and pushed past him.
"You have no rights here," I shot back over my shoulder.
I practically ran out of the restaurant and onto the busy Chicago street.
I hailed a taxi, throwing the kids into the back seat while constantly looking over my shoulder.
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I thought I had successfully escaped the nightmare.
But when we finally arrived at our apartment, my front door was already unlocked.
