Chapter 5 - The Hostage
Evelyn smiled maliciously as she aimed the weapon at my heart.
"You really should have stayed away, Nia," she whispered.
I backed away slowly, my mind desperately trying to process the danger.
"You were the one who hired the men to destroy my house," I realized aloud.
Evelyn chuckled softly, stepping further into the luxurious study.
"Of course I did, darling."
"I could not let Luca discover that you had successfully given him heirs."
She gestured toward the forged medical files resting on the desk.
"Marcus and I planned this years ago when we realized you were too weak for the Moretti empire."
"We paid the doctors to make you think you were broken so Luca would leave you."
The magnitude of their cruelty made me physically sick to my stomach.
They had stolen years of my life and destroyed my marriage for power and money.
"Luca will find out," I threatened, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Luca is not going to find anything," Evelyn replied coldly.
"He currently believes my father's rival cartel ordered the hit on your house."
She pulled a small, black remote from her pocket.
"In exactly five minutes, the security cameras in the nursery suite will loop."
"My men will quietly escort those two little bastards out the back gate."
"They will disappear forever, and you will tragically fall from the balcony while trying to save them."
Pure, unadulterated motherly rage erupted inside my chest.
I was not going to let this monster touch a single hair on my children's heads.
I grabbed a heavy bronze paperweight from the desk and hurled it directly at her face.
Evelyn ducked, and the heavy metal shattered the glass cabinet behind her.
The distraction gave me a split second to lunge forward.
I tackled her to the Persian rug, fighting desperately for control of the gun.
Evelyn screamed and clawed at my face, but adrenaline fueled my strength.
The gun went off with a muffled crack.
A searing pain sliced across my upper arm as the bullet grazed my skin.
I ignored the blood, twisted her wrist back, and forced her to drop the weapon.
I grabbed the gun and aimed it directly at her forehead.
Suddenly, the study doors were kicked open with explosive force.
Luca stood in the doorway, his eyes blazing with absolute fury.
He looked at the blood on my arm, the gun in my hand, and Evelyn crying on the floor.
"What the hell is going on here?" Luca roared.
Evelyn immediately burst into dramatic, hysterical tears.
"She tried to kill me, Luca!" Evelyn lied flawlessly.
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"She wants my money, and she tried to shoot me in cold blood!"
Luca slowly raised his own weapon, pointing it directly at my chest.
