Chapter 6 - A Line in the Sand
I stared down at the man who held the East Coast underworld in his palm, kneeling in the dirt and rain at my feet.For a second, the sweet memory of the man I used to love flashed through my mind. But then I remembered Vanessa's laughter, the cruel words spoken in that penthouse, and the cold realization that my entire marriage had been built on a throne of lies.
I unhooked the door chain and stepped out onto the porch, standing above him.
"Get up, Lorenzo," I said coldly. "Mafia bosses don't kneel."
Lorenzo slowly stood up, wiping the rain from his dark hair, his eyes filled with a desperate, burning hope.
"I will let your security team guard the perimeter of this town until Moretti is dealt with," I told him, holding my ground. "Because I will not put my child's life at risk to prove a point to you."
Lorenzo let out a breath of pure relief. "Thank you, Emily. I swear to you—"
"But hear me carefully, Lorenzo," I cut him off, poking my finger hard into his wet chest. "The moment Moretti is gone, you leave. You do not call me. You do not send flowers. You do not stand outside my house like a ghost."
Lorenzo’s face hardened, his jaw clenching tightly. "He's my child too, Emily. You can't keep me from my baby."
"You lost the right to be a husband the day you kissed another woman in your penthouse," I snapped back, my eyes blazing. "And you will earn the right to be a father only when you prove to me that my child won't grow up surrounded by bodyguards, blood, and caskets!"
"That's my world!" Lorenzo argued, his voice rising above the sound of the rain. "I can't just walk away from the DeSantis empire! If I step down, my enemies will slaughter everyone connected to me!"
"Then find a way!" I yelled back. "Because until you do, you are just a dangerous stranger who broke my heart."
I stepped back inside the cottage and slammed the door in his face, locking the deadbolt with a loud click.
May you like
Through the window, I watched as Lorenzo stood in the rain for five long minutes, staring at the closed door. Finally, he turned around, pulled a encrypted radio from his belt, and spoke into it with dark, lethal authority.
"Victor," Lorenzo commanded into the radio. "Bring the entire vanguard to Pineridge. We are hunting Moretti tonight."
