Chapter 2 - The Man My Husband Feared Most
A black car stopped outside my hidden apartment as I held my newborn daughter in my arms, whispering: "Please don't make me regret trusting you." When rival crime boss Damian Voss stepped out, he left behind a sealed envelope containing Alessandro Castellano's private records. But one sentence was written across the front: "Your husband lied first." Nadine suddenly realized running away was never enough.
I didn't know his name.
I didn't know why he was there.
I only knew one thing.
Alessandro Castellano feared him.
And that alone was enough to make me afraid.
For three months, I had lived like a ghost.
I changed cities.
I changed my phone number.
I stopped contacting everyone from my old life.
I erased every trace of Nadine Castellano.
The woman who once wore designer dresses and lived inside a mansion surrounded by guards was gone.
Now I was just a mother trying to protect her daughter.
But the moment I saw the black car outside my apartment, I knew my new life had ended.
My daughter was sleeping peacefully against my chest.
She had no idea that the world outside was changing.
She had no idea that the man who claimed to love her mother was searching for us.
I moved away from the window.
My first instinct was to hide.
My second instinct was to fight.
Because I had learned something after Alessandro betrayed me.
People like him didn't ask for permission.
They took what they wanted.
And I refused to let him take my daughter.
A knock came at the door.
Three slow knocks.
Not aggressive.
Not rushed.
Almost like the person outside knew I had nowhere else to go.
I held my daughter tighter.
"Who is it?"
Silence.
Then a man's voice answered.
"Nadine Castellano."
My entire body froze.
Nobody had spoken that name since I disappeared.
Not like that.
Not with certainty.
I stepped closer to the door.
"How do you know my name?"
The man answered calmly.
"Because your husband spent three months searching for you."
My heart dropped.
I looked toward my daughter.
Then back at the door.
"Who are you?"
Another pause.
Then:
"The man your husband has been trying to destroy for years."
I already knew.
Before he said his name, I knew.
Damian Voss.
The only man Alessandro Castellano couldn't control.
The only person powerful enough to challenge him.
The only enemy Alessandro never mentioned without changing his expression.
I remembered one night at the mansion.
I had asked Alessandro why he kept so many security guards around.
He smiled and told me:
"It's not my enemies you need to worry about."
I had laughed.
"What should I worry about then?"
His smile disappeared.
"One man."
At the time, I thought he was exaggerating.
Now I understood.
The person standing outside my door was the reason my husband looked afraid.
I slowly opened the door.
Just enough to see him.
Damian Voss looked nothing like the monsters people described.
He wasn't shouting.
He wasn't threatening me.
He simply stood there wearing a black suit, his expression calm and unreadable.
But there was something in his eyes.
Something Alessandro never had.
Control.
"Where is your security?" I asked.
Damian looked around my small apartment.
"You removed yourself from Alessandro's world."
His eyes moved to my daughter.
"That was smart."
I immediately stepped in front of her.
"Don't look at her."
His expression changed slightly.
Not anger.
Respect.
"You think I'm here to hurt you."
"I don't know what you're here for."
"Fair enough."
He reached inside his jacket.
I tensed.
But he didn't pull out a weapon.
He pulled out an envelope.
A simple white envelope.
He placed it on the table.
"Open it."
I didn't move.
"What is it?"
"The truth."
I almost laughed.
Because that was the word everyone used when they wanted something from me.
Truth.
Alessandro used it.
His employees used it.
Even my sister used it.
Everyone promised me the truth.
Everyone gave me lies.
"I don't need anything from you."
Damian looked at me.
"Yes, you do."
The confidence in his voice angered me.
"You don't know me."
"I know enough."
"Then you know I don't trust men like you."
He nodded.
"Good."
That answer surprised me.
"Good?"
"A woman who trusts easily doesn't survive in our world."
He looked at my daughter.
"But a woman who protects her child does."
I hated that his words affected me.
Because they sounded sincere.
And after Alessandro, sincerity felt dangerous.
I opened the envelope.
Inside were photographs.
Documents.
Bank records.
Private messages.
I looked at the first photograph.
My hands became cold.
It showed Alessandro.
And Isabella.
Together.
Not from the night I caught them.
From weeks earlier.
Months earlier.
They had been meeting long before I knew.
I turned the page.
Another photograph.
Another meeting.
Another lie.
My throat tightened.
"I already knew they were together."
Damian shook his head.
"No."
I looked at him.
"You knew he betrayed you."
He pointed at the documents.
"But you don't know why."
I stared at the papers.
"What are you talking about?"
Damian leaned against the table.
"Alessandro didn't just betray you with your sister."
My fingers tightened around the document.
"He was planning something."
"What?"
"A divorce."
The room went silent.
I felt like the air had disappeared.
"He planned to leave me?"
"After your child was born."
I looked at my daughter.
My heart broke all over again.
"Why?"
Damian didn't answer immediately.
And that scared me more.
"Because Alessandro needed something from your family."
"My family?"
"Your father left behind something valuable before he died."
I shook my head.
"My father was not involved in his business."
Damian looked at me.
"You believe that because Alessandro wanted you to."
I stood up.
"Stop."
But he continued.
"Your father had information that could destroy powerful people."
I stared at him.
"Why are you telling me this?"
His eyes met mine.
"Because Alessandro is not searching for you because he misses you."
A cold feeling moved through my body.
"Then why?"
Damian looked toward the window.
"Because your daughter is the last piece he needs."
My arms immediately wrapped around my baby.
"No."
"That is why I found you first."
I wanted to believe he was lying.
I wanted to believe everyone was lying.
Because the alternative was too painful.
The man I married.
The father of my child.
The person I trusted with my life.
Had never been protecting me.
He had been protecting his own secrets.
My phone suddenly vibrated.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
A message.
My blood froze.
Because I knew the number.
It was Alessandro's private line.
The message contained only one sentence.
"I know where you are."
I couldn't breathe.
Damian looked at my face.
"What did he send?"
I slowly turned the phone toward him.
For the first time, his calm expression changed.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Concern.
"He found you faster than I expected."
I stepped backward.
"What does that mean?"
Damian didn't answer.
He walked toward the window.
The street below was empty.
Too empty.
Then he noticed something.
A reflection.
A vehicle parked across the road.
A black SUV.
Damian's jaw tightened.
"Pack a bag."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Now."
"Why?"
He looked back at me.
Because the man outside wasn't alone.
May you like
And when the apartment lights suddenly turned off...
Someone knocked on the door.
