Chapter 8

The estate was eerily quiet by midnight.

The police had come and gone. The guests had been ushered out by security. The shattered glass and overturned chairs in the dining room remained untouched, a silent testament to the violence that had erupted hours earlier.

I sat on a velvet stool in the massive kitchen, holding a bag of frozen peas against a nasty scratch on my cheek—a parting gift from Vanessa’s nails.

Mrs. Carter was brewing chamomile tea, her hands still shaking slightly as she poured the hot water.

“You should be resting, Nora,” she said gently, sliding a mug toward me.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Carter,” I lied, wincing as the steam hit my cheek.

Footsteps echoed on the tile floor. Luca walked into the kitchen.

He had taken off his ruined suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. He looked exhausted, older, carrying the weight of a man who had just watched his entire life unravel and stitch itself back together in a single night.

Mrs. Carter immediately bowed her head and slipped out of the kitchen, giving us privacy.

I tried to stand up, remembering my place. “Mr. Moretti, I can clean the dining room—”

“Sit down, Nora,” he said softly.

He walked over and sat on the stool next to mine. For a long moment, he just looked at me. He looked at my messy hair, my stained uniform, and the frozen peas pressed against my face.

“Ethan is asleep,” Luca said quietly. “He asked if you could read him a story tomorrow.”

My chest tightened. “Of course, sir. Anytime.”

Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out the small, untouched vanilla cake with the blue frosting and three little white stars. He placed it gently on the kitchen island between us.

“He wanted you to have this,” Luca said, a small, sad smile touching his lips. “He said you earned the special dessert tonight.”

Tears pricked my eyes. “He’s a brave little boy.”

“He is,” Luca agreed. He looked down at his hands. “And you are a remarkably brave woman, Nora. You threw yourself in front of a bullet for a child who isn’t yours.”

“I would do it again, sir,” I said without hesitation.

Luca looked up, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “I know you would. And that’s exactly why I need to ask you something.”

My heart gave a nervous flutter. “Sir?”

“Tomorrow morning, the press is going to find out the wedding is canceled. They’re going to find out Vanessa was arrested. It’s going to be a circus.” Luca leaned closer. “Ethan needs stability. He needs someone he trusts. Someone who genuinely cares about him, not about my money or my name.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m not going anywhere, Mr. Moretti. I’ll keep cleaning, I’ll keep serving his meals—”

“I don’t want you cleaning rooms anymore, Nora,” Luca interrupted gently.

I froze, the air leaving my lungs. Was he firing me? After everything?

“I want you to be Ethan’s full-time guardian and governess,” Luca said, his voice steady and serious. “You will have your own suite in the house. Your salary will be quadrupled. Full medical benefits for you, and… I know about your mother’s health issues, Nora. I want to pay for her care. At the best private facility in Chicago.”

I stared at him, completely paralyzed. “Mr. Moretti… I… I can’t accept that. That’s too much.”

“It’s not enough,” Luca corrected him. “You gave me back my son today. You gave me the truth about my wife. You saved my family.”

He reached across the marble island, his large, bruised hand gently wrapping around my trembling fingers.

“Please, Nora,” the ruthless mafia boss whispered, his eyes entirely vulnerable. “Stay with us.”

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