Chapter 10 - PATCHING UP THE WOUNDS
The master bedroom was quiet again, save for the hum of the portable heater.
I sat on the edge of the bed, carefully cleaning the bullet graze on Luca's shoulder with antiseptic wipes.
Oliver sat nearby, watching anxiously.
“Does it hurt, Daddy?” Oliver asked softly.
“Not as much as it should, buddy,” Luca smiled faintly, wincing slightly as the alcohol hit his skin.
He looked at me through the dim light.
“You have a steady hand for a housekeeper, Emily.”
“My father was a hunter,” I replied quietly, applying a sterile bandage to his shoulder.
“He taught me how to aim when I was twelve.”
“Well, you saved my life tonight,” Luca said, his dark eyes holding mine for a long, lingering moment.
“And you saved Oliver's.”
“We protect each other,” Oliver chimed in, leaning against his father's knee.
Luca wrapped his good arm around his son, pulling him close.
For the first time in two years, the dark cloud hanging over the Moretti mansion finally felt like it was lifting.
The monster was locked away.
The truth had come to light.
Late that night, after Oliver finally fell asleep in his own bed, I stayed downstairs in the massive kitchen, cleaning up the mess from the earlier chaos.
The grandfather clock in the hallway struck 3 AM.
Footsteps echoed softly on the tile floor.
I turned around and saw Luca standing in the doorway, wearing a fresh black shirt, his injured shoulder bandaged beneath the fabric.
“You should be resting,” I said, setting down a dish towel.
“I couldn't sleep,” Luca admitted, walking slowly toward the island.
He stopped just inches away from me.
The air between us suddenly felt charged, heavy with unspoken words.
“Emily,” he started, his voice dropping an octave.
“Mr. Moretti—Luca,” I corrected myself, my heart racing.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
May you like
“For everything. You brought light back into this dark house.”
Cliffhanger: Luca reached out, gently cupped my cheek with his warm hand, and leaned in close as if to kiss me—just as the front doors were kicked open by federal agents demanding entry.
