Chapter 7 - The True Confession
Luca walked back over to Naomi, sweeping her into his arms effortlessly as if she weighed nothing at all.
He carried her out of the café and into the warm, dry leather interior of his limousine waiting at the curb.
He wrapped a thick cashmere blanket around her shoulders and held her close against his side, his arm securely around her waist.
"How did you find me?" Naomi asked, her voice still rough from the attack, resting her head against his steady chest.
"Tessa called me five minutes after you left the bakery," Luca explained, gently kissing her bruised neck. "She told me you were going to meet him alone. I've never driven that fast in my entire life."
Naomi looked down at her lap, feeling a pang of guilt. "I was trying to protect you, Luca. I didn't want you getting violent. I didn't want you turning into your father."
Luca sighed heavily, leaning his forehead against hers. "My father was a coward who preyed on the helpless, Naomi. Protecting the woman I cherish with every breath in my body isn't being a monster. It’s being a husband."
He reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out the ultrasound photo again, his fingers tracing the tiny outline of their child.
"I was terrified of having a child because I thought the curse was in my blood," he whispered, a single tear escaping his eye and falling onto her hand. "I thought any baby I created would inherit the darkness. But looking at this... knowing this baby is half of you... I have never wanted anything more."
"You really want this baby?" Naomi asked, her heart leaping with profound hope.
"More than my company. More than my life," Luca said fiercely, capturing her lips in a kiss filled with endless devotion and promises.
When they arrived back at the Rittenhouse brownstone, Luca had a private doctor waiting to examine Naomi and ensure the baby was completely safe.
The heartbeat was strong, rhythmic, and perfectly healthy, echoing through the master bedroom like music.
Luca stood by the bed, listening to the tiny, rapid thump-thump of his child's heart, his face glowing with an emotion so pure it brought Naomi to tears.
However, downstairs, Marco was waiting with grim news.
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Vincent Bellini had heard about the incident at the café, and he was using the public commotion to demand an emergency board meeting the very next morning.
The battle for Luca’s legacy was about to reach its final, bloody showdown.
