Chapter 3 - A Name That Opened Doors
Richard’s message burned on my screen.
I read it three times before I could breathe.
I know you left. You can’t hide Maya from me forever.
Mr. Moretti noticed the change in my face immediately.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
His eyes narrowed. “That was not nothing.”
I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “It’s personal.”
He didn’t push, but the silence between us became sharper.
Theodore had fallen asleep against me, warm and peaceful. His tiny chest rose and fell beneath the blanket. I should have felt relieved.
Instead, I felt hunted.
When we returned to the cabin, people stared.
Not openly. Not with kindness.
With curiosity.
The retired actress looked at me like I had committed some kind of social crime. The senator watched over the top of his newspaper. A woman in a pearl necklace whispered to her husband, and he looked away quickly when I caught him.
I returned to Maya, who woke just enough to blink at me.
“Mommy?” she whispered.
“I’m here, baby.”
“Did you help the crying baby?”
“Yes.”
She smiled sleepily. “You always help.”
My throat tightened.
If only she knew how badly I needed to help us now.
An hour before landing, a flight attendant approached my seat.
“Mr. Moretti would like to speak with you when we arrive.”
I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary.”
“He insists.”
“Then please tell him I said no.”
The attendant looked terrified. “I don’t think people usually say no to Mr. Moretti.”
“Well,” I said, “they should try it sometime.”
At Leonardo da Vinci Airport, I waited until the first-class passengers disappeared before getting Maya and our suitcase.
But Mr. Moretti was waiting near customs.
The bodyguard stood beside him, larger than ever. His name, I learned from another attendant, was Dante.
Mr. Moretti held Theodore in a carrier against his chest.
The baby slept peacefully.
“I wanted to thank you,” he said.
“You already did.”
“No. I gave you words. You gave my son peace.”
I adjusted my grip on Maya’s hand. “He’ll be okay.”
“I want to pay you.”
“No.”
“Claire—”
“I said no.”
Dante shifted slightly, almost amused.
Mr. Moretti’s gaze hardened. “You don’t know who I am.”
“I don’t care who you are.”
That stopped him.
For the first time, something that looked almost like respect crossed his face.
“I’m Luca Moretti,” he said. “I own Moretti International.”
“I’m sure that matters to many people.”
“It should matter to you.”
“I’m not for sale.”
Maya tugged my hand. “Mommy, who’s the scary man?”
Luca looked down at her.
To my surprise, his face softened.
“I’m Luca,” he said.
Maya considered him seriously. “You don’t smile much.”
Dante choked on what might have been a laugh.
Luca looked genuinely stunned.
Then Theodore stirred in his carrier, making a small unhappy sound.
Maya reached over and patted his tiny foot.
“It’s okay,” she told him. “My mommy helps babies.”
Luca’s eyes met mine again.
This time, there was something more complicated behind them.
Not gratitude.
Recognition.
“You don’t have a safe place to stay,” he said suddenly.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“What makes you think that?”
“The suitcase. The cash envelope in your bag. The way you keep checking your phone. The bruises on your daughter’s arm.”
I looked down.
Maya had a faint yellow mark near her elbow. Richard had grabbed her when she spilled juice two weeks ago.
I had told myself it was an accident.
I had lied to myself.
Luca’s voice dropped. “Who hurt her?”
“No one.”
“Claire.”
“No one,” I repeated, but my voice cracked.
Dante stepped forward. “Mr. Moretti can arrange a secure hotel.”
“I don’t need charity.”
“You need protection,” Luca said.
“I don’t know you.”
“That makes two of us.”
Then my phone buzzed again.
A new message from Richard.
Rome is a beautiful city. Easy to get lost there. Easy for bad things to happen.
I stared at the screen.
Luca saw it.
And all warmth left his face.
“Dante,” he said quietly, “find out who Richard is.”
I stepped back. “No. Don’t involve yourself.”
Luca looked at me with the coldness of a man used to making impossible things happen.
“He involved himself when he threatened a child.”
May you like
And for the first time, I wondered whether getting on that flight had changed everything.
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