Chapter 4 - Shadows of the Past
"You don't get to call her your daughter," I answered cold as ice, standing by the hotel room window looking out over the rain-slicked streets. "You gave up that title the night you left us."
"Claire, listen to me," Vincent pleaded, his tone devoid of the arrogance he usually carried. "They lied to me. Your mother, Sophia... they told me she was born dead. They told me you left the country because of grief. I searched for you for two years, Claire! I sent men to find you!"
"You sent men to find a ghost, Vincent! You didn't search hard enough because you were too busy playing happy family with Sophia and her newborn!" I retaliated, my chest tight. "You had a son. You got your precious heir. Why do you suddenly care about the daughter you discarded?"
"Because she is mine!" he shouted through the receiver, his composure cracking completely. "Because she has my eyes! Because I have lived seven years with a black hole in my chest, thinking I failed as a father, only to realize I was tricked by the snakes in my own house!"
"That's your problem, Vincent. Your house, your snakes, your mess. Stay away from us."
"Claire, wait—"
I hung up the phone and removed the SIM card, snapping it in two before dropping it into the trash.
Madison walked out of the adjoining bedroom, holding her laptop. "Claire, we have a bigger problem than Vincent’s legal injunction."
"What is it?"
"The news of Emily’s identity has leaked beyond the press. It’s hit the underworld underground networks," Madison said, her face grim. "The Moretti family isn't the only mob syndicate in Chicago. The Donati family... Vincent’s rival clan... they just caught wind that Vincent has a legitimate, first-born daughter with his legal wife."
My blood ran cold. In the brutal logic of the mafia world, a legitimate first-born child—especially a hidden one—was a prime target for leverage.
"They wouldn't target a child..." I whispered, though deep down, I knew better.
"The Donatis don't play by rules, Claire," Madison warned. "If they realize Vincent wants Emily back, she becomes the most valuable hostage in the city."
Before I could process Madison’s words, the lights in our hotel suite suddenly flickered and died. The hum of the air conditioning cut out, plunging the room into total darkness, illuminated only by the distant neon glow of the city through the sheer curtains.
From the hallway outside, the faint sound of heavy, fast-approaching footsteps echoed toward our door.
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"Madison, get Emily into the bathroom. Now!" I whispered frantically.
I grabbed a heavy bronze lamp from the side table, my heart pounding in my throat like a sledgehammer. The front door handle jiggled. Then, with a deafening CRACK, the door lock shattered, and three armed men dressed in dark tactical gear burst into the room.
