Chapter 7 - The Night Hawthorne Ridge Chose a Side
Luciano did not ask the question everyone expected.
He did not demand an explanation.
He did not accuse Kate.
He simply looked at her and said, “Sit down.”
Kate stared.
“What?”
“You shouldn’t be standing.”
Even Matteo looked surprised.
Margaret helped Kate into a chair at the top of the stairs.
Luciano carried the photograph upstairs.
He stopped several feet from her.
“Is it real?”
Kate nodded.
“Yes.”
“Were you meeting Adrian?”
“Yes.”
Matteo smiled from below.
Luciano ignored him.
“Why?”
Kate looked at Adrian.
Adrian closed his eyes.
Then Kate answered.
“I was considering leaving you.”
The words landed quietly.
Luciano nodded once.
“Before our argument.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“A few weeks.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was trying to decide whether I actually wanted a divorce or whether I just wanted you to notice how unhappy I was.”
Luciano absorbed that.
Kate continued.
“I met Adrian because he was your attorney and I wanted to understand what separation would mean.”
Luciano looked at Adrian.
“You advised my wife about divorcing me?”
Adrian grimaced.
“I told her I had a conflict and couldn’t represent her.”
“But you met her.”
“She was scared.”
Kate interrupted.
“Don’t blame him. I asked.”
Luciano looked back at her.
“Did you decide?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“That I didn’t want to leave.”
His expression shifted.
Kate’s eyes filled.
“I came home that night planning to tell you.”
Luciano remembered.
That night.
The library.
Their final argument.
“You came home angry.”
“Because you weren’t there.”
Luciano closed his eyes.
“I missed dinner.”
“You missed our anniversary dinner.”
He opened them.
Of course.
He remembered the emergency call.
The flight he had moved.
The dinner he assumed they could reschedule.
Kate had waited three hours.
“I was going to tell you I wanted to fix us,” she said. “Instead you arrived after midnight and took another call before you even took off your coat.”
Luciano looked down.
“I remember.”
“I lost it.”
“Yes.”
“I said I couldn’t live like that.”
“And I thought you meant with me.”
“I meant like that.”
Silence.
Matteo called from below.
“Touching.”
Luciano turned.
“Leave.”
Matteo laughed.
“You invited me.”
“I’m withdrawing the invitation.”
“You think this fixes your marriage?”
“No.”
That answer surprised everyone.
Luciano continued.
“Kate and I decide what happens to our marriage. Not you.”
Matteo’s expression hardened.
“You still don’t understand what you’ve done to this family.”
Luciano descended the stairs.
“No, Matteo. You don’t understand what family is.”
He stopped at the bottom.
“You thought it was control.”
Matteo stared.
“You thought blood gave you ownership over everyone carrying the same name.”
Luciano shook his head.
“It doesn’t.”
Outside, emergency vehicle lights appeared beyond the windows.
Not private transport this time.
The real team.
Elena stepped into the hall.
“They’re here.”
Matteo glanced toward the door.
Then toward Adrian.
Then Luciano.
He understood the evening was over.
Not with violence.
Not with some dramatic final confrontation.
With witnesses.
Documents.
Recordings.
Consequences.
Luciano opened the front door.
“You can explain everything to investigators.”
Matteo’s face tightened.
“You’d do that to your own cousin?”
Luciano looked upstairs toward Kate.
“You did this to my family.”
Matteo said nothing.
The emergency team entered.
Behind them were two local officers responding to Elena’s report of suspected forgery and fraudulent medical transfer.
Matteo looked at Luciano one last time.
“You think she’ll forgive you?”
Luciano’s answer was immediate.
“She doesn’t owe me forgiveness.”
Matteo’s expression flickered.
Luciano continued.
“And whether she stays with me has nothing to do with what happens to you.”
For once, Matteo had nothing to say.
The officers asked him to remain.
Luciano turned away.
Kate suddenly cried out upstairs.
Everything else vanished.
Luciano ran.
Margaret was already beside her.
“We’re moving now.”
“Hospital?”
“Yes.”
The road was open.
The legitimate emergency team brought equipment upstairs.
Luciano remained out of the way until Kate reached for him.
“Come.”
He took her hand.
“I’m here.”
“No.”
Her grip tightened.
“Come with me.”
Luciano understood.
“To the hospital?”
“Yes.”
He looked at Margaret.
She nodded.
Minutes later, Kate was being carefully transported downstairs.
As they passed the study, she saw the leather case.
The divorce papers were still inside.
She looked at Luciano.
He saw where she was looking.
“Leave them.”
Kate said nothing.
They entered the ambulance.
Luciano sat beside her.
For the entire ride, he held her hand.
No calls.
No business.
No instructions shouted into phones.
His phone rang twice.
He turned it off.
Kate noticed.
“You can answer.”
“No.”
“It might be important.”
“You’re important.”
Kate looked toward the ceiling.
“You’re making this very difficult.”
“What?”
“Being angry at you.”
“You can remain angry.”
“I’m trying.”
“I support your commitment.”
She laughed, then winced.
Luciano immediately became serious.
“Sorry.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“Tonight I’m taking responsibility broadly.”
Kate smiled weakly.
At the hospital, doctors worked to stabilize her.
Luciano waited outside for what felt like years.
Elena arrived.
Then Adrian.
Margaret.
Nobody spoke much.
Eventually a doctor appeared.
Luciano stood.
“Mrs. Aruri is stable.”
His shoulders dropped.
“And the baby?”
“Stable.”
Luciano closed his eyes.
“We’ve managed to slow the labor. Our goal is to safely prolong the pregnancy as much as possible.”
“How long?”
“We take it one day at a time.”
One day.
Luciano could do one day.
The doctor allowed him inside.
Kate was awake.
He sat beside her.
“They told you?”
“Yes.”
She looked relieved.
“So we wait.”
“We wait.”
Kate looked toward the window.
“Luciano.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t want to make decisions tonight.”
“Then don’t.”
“About us.”
“I know.”
“I need time.”
“You have it.”
“And space.”
“You have that too.”
She looked at him skeptically.
“You’re agreeing suspiciously easily.”
“I’m attempting growth.”
“That sounds painful.”
“It’s terrible.”
Kate smiled.
Then became serious.
“I did love you.”
Luciano looked at her.
“Past tense?”
“I don’t know.”
He nodded.
That hurt.
But he accepted it.
“I love you.”
Kate’s eyes filled.
“I know.”
“No condition attached.”
She swallowed.
“Okay.”
“If you decide this marriage should end, I’ll sign.”
“Okay.”
“If you decide there’s something left worth trying—”
Kate waited.
“I’ll show up.”
Not fix it.
Not command it.
Show up.
Kate closed her eyes.
“That’s all I ever wanted.”
Luciano remained beside her until she slept.
Near dawn, he finally walked into the hospital hallway.
Adrian was waiting.
“The investigators found something.”
“What?”
“Matteo didn’t act alone.”
Luciano’s expression sharpened.
“Who?”
Adrian held out his phone.
“Someone inside the hospital system altered Kate’s file again twenty minutes ago.”
Luciano stared.
“Matteo has been with investigators for hours.”
“I know.”
“Then who did it?”
Adrian showed him the access log.
The user account belonged to someone Luciano recognized.
Not a family member.
Not an attorney.
Not Margaret.
Luciano slowly looked through the glass toward Kate’s room.
A nurse was standing beside her bed.
The same name appeared on the nurse’s identification badge.
Luciano reached for the door.
Before he touched it, the nurse turned.
May you like
She looked directly at him.
Then she locked the door from the inside.
