Chapter 7 - The Settlement of Accounts
Three days later, Noah was officially discharged from Ravenport Memorial Hospital with a clean bill of health.
Harper packed his small dinosaur backpack, while Noah happily demonstrated his toy action figures to Matteo, who stood near the door looking hilariously out of place holding a tiny plastic superhero.
Dante stepped into the room, wearing a tailored navy suit.
“The car is downstairs,” Dante announced.
Harper stopped zipping the backpack, her shoulders tensing once more. The reality of their situation was returning. The medical emergency was over, which meant the custody war was about to begin.
“Where are we going, Dante?” Harper asked, her tone guarded. “I have a lease on an apartment in Springfield—”
“Your lease in Springfield has been canceled, and your belongings have already been packed and moved,” Dante said calmly.
“You have no right!” Harper snapped, her anger flaring up. “You can’t just hijack our lives!”
“I am taking you to the Valente Estate in Lake Forest,” Dante said, stepping closer to her, his voice dropping so Noah wouldn’t hear. “Not as a prisoner, Harper. As my guests.”
“And if I refuse?”
“If you refuse, you will spend the next five years running from Moretti’s remaining lieutenants, who now know your face and your son’s name,” Dante said sternly. “Marco is dead, but his empire is splintering. Ravenport is a war zone right now. The only place on this earth where you and Noah are one hundred percent safe is behind my walls.”
Harper looked at Noah, who was currently trying to put a pair of sunglasses on Matteo’s face. She knew Dante was right. The veil of secrecy had been torn away forever. She could no longer hide behind fake names.
“Temporary,” Harper bargained, her eyes locking onto Dante’s. “We stay until the threat is cleared. Then we discuss a legal custody agreement.”
Dante stared at her for a long moment, then bowed his head slightly. “Agreed.”
An hour later, the four-car motorcade pulled through the massive wrought-iron gates of the Valente Estate in Lake Forest.
Harper looked out the window of the armored sedan. The sprawling limestone mansion sat atop a hill overlooking the blue expanse of Lake Michigan. It was the place where she had spent the two years of her marriage—a place she had once considered a golden prison.
As the car pulled up to the front steps, Noah gasped, pressing his face against the glass.
“Woah! Mama, is this the castle?”
May you like
Harper looked at Dante, who was watching her with a quiet, unreadable expression.
“Yes, baby,” Harper whispered. “It’s the castle.”
