Chapter 10 – THE RING’S MARK

Vanessa’s head snapped back with a sharp crack, and she crumpled to the concrete floor, crying out in pain.

A bright red welt, perfectly shaped like the edge of a gold band, bloomed instantly on her cheek.

Answer one: I didn’t need a gun or a mob boss to get my justice. I took it myself, leaving the mark of the husband she murdered directly on her face.

I stood over her, breathing heavily, my knuckles aching but my soul feeling lighter than it had in eighteen months.

“That wasn’t for me,” I said coldly, looking down at her sobbing form. “That was for Daniel.”

Dominic, sitting in the corner, let out a low, mocking laugh.

“Good hit, sweetheart,” Dominic sneered. “But it doesn’t change anything. We’re locked in here, and you’re still a widow.”

Luca stepped into the cell. He didn’t look at Vanessa. He looked entirely at Dominic.

“You’re right, Dom,” Luca said softly. “You are locked in here.”

Luca pulled a thick manila folder from his jacket and tossed it onto the floor between the two traitors.

“What’s this?” Dominic asked, frowning.

“Those are the fully executed transfer deeds for all legitimate Moretti assets,” Luca explained, his voice perfectly calm. “The money is clean. The businesses are clean. And the FBI has just received an anonymous, highly detailed tip regarding the location of the two individuals responsible for the murder of Michael Moretti and Daniel Morgan.”

Dominic’s smug smile vanished instantly.

“You called the feds on your own house?” Dominic gasped, sheer panic finally breaking his composure.

“I don’t own this house anymore,” Luca said, turning toward the door. “I signed it over to the state as part of a charitable trust thirty minutes ago. You aren’t sitting in a mafia holding cell, Dominic. You’re trespassing on government property. The feds will be here in exactly five minutes to arrest you both for double homicide.”

Open two: Luca has given up his fortune, his home, and his power to ensure Dominic and Vanessa rot in prison. What is left for him? And what is left for me?

“You’re throwing away an empire just to bury us?” Vanessa shrieked from the floor, clutching her bruised jaw.

“An empire built on blood isn’t worth keeping,” Luca said simply.

He stepped out of the cell, closing the heavy steel door behind him. He didn’t weld it shut this time. He just locked it, leaving them to wait in the dark for the sirens that were already wailing in the distance.

Luca looked at me. His expensive suit was covered in dust, his face was bruised, and he had just willingly surrendered billions of dollars.

But he looked completely, beautifully free.

“Come on,” Luca said, offering me his hand. “We need to leave before the authorities arrive.”

I took his hand, and we walked up the stairs, out the back service doors, and into the cool, pre-dawn Chicago air.

A single, unassuming black sedan was waiting in the driveway. Daniel, the loyal security chief, was standing by the open door.

“The accounts are closed, Boss,” Daniel reported with a respectful nod. “The men have been dispersed with their severance packages. The transition is complete.”

“Thank you, Daniel,” Luca said, shaking the man’s hand warmly. “For everything.”

“It’s been an honor, Mr. Moretti,” Daniel smiled, tossing Luca the keys to the sedan.

We got into the car. Luca started the engine and drove us away from the massive, looming mansion that had been the center of my nightmare for eleven months.

As we drove through the quiet, empty streets of the city, the sun began to rise over Lake Michigan, painting the sky in brilliant strokes of gold and pink.

I looked down at my hands. I was still holding my wedding ring.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t feel the crushing weight of grief anymore. I felt peace. Daniel’s truth was known. His murderers were going to spend the rest of their lives in a concrete box. I had survived.

I carefully slipped the gold band into the front pocket of my coat, keeping it safe, but no longer needing to wear it as a shield.

Luca noticed the movement.

“Where are we going?” I asked softly, looking over at him.

Luca smiled—a real, genuine smile that reached his dark eyes and chased away the shadows he had carried for years.

“I don’t know,” Luca admitted quietly. “I’ve never been unemployed before.”

TITLE: THE SUNRISE

Share