Raven's POV
Her heart hammered in her chest, the weight of the conversation with Aurelio still hanging heavy in the air. It was impossible to ignore how his words had etched into her soul, a stark reminder of the dark history between them—one that had been buried for years, but now, it seemed to be clawing its way to the surface.
"Walk away, Aurelio." She had said it out of instinct, but she knew—he would never walk away. Not when it came to Raven. Not when it came to something that piqued his interest.
She had tried to move past him, to get on with her investigation, but the heat of his gaze had followed her every step. She could still feel it like a burn on her skin, the weight of his words settling deep in her chest. That look, the one that held more than just curiosity, made her want to turn away. To retreat. But where could she go? How far could she run?
He would never let her go.
That thought gnawed at her insides as she walked back to her apartment.
But there was no time to linger on her fears. Not now. Not when the stakes were higher than they had ever been. She had a daughter to protect, and she had to find a way to wrap this investigation up without the past destroying everything she had worked so hard to build.
Luna's POV – That Evening
Luna was curled up in her little bed, clutching Mister Flop tightly. The quiet of the room was almost too much, like everything was holding its breath. She could feel something changing, something different in the air tonight. She didn't know what it was, but her gut told her it was important. She could sense that her mama was sad.
Her thoughts drifted to the strange man she had seen In the café earlier. His dark eyes and the way he had looked at Mama—almost like he knew her, knew her in a way that Luna didn't understand. She had been too small to remember much, but she had seen enough to know that the man's presence had made her mama tense. Not the fun, playful kind of tension. No, this was the kind that made everything heavy.
Luna squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the thought away, but the man's face kept appearing in her mind. "Who is he?" she whispered to herself, the question lingering in the silence of the room.
She reached out to her nightstand and grabbed the small photograph frame. It was one of the only things her mama had kept from before, one of the few pictures that had survived the years of change and loss. The picture showed a smiling young woman with dark hair, holding a baby girl—her mama, her mama, and someone she couldn't quite recognize standing beside them.
Who was he? Why did her mama never talk about him?
Luna's tiny fingers traced the edges of the photo, her heart aching as she wondered why she was so different from the other children. The other kids had both of their parents, and Luna only had Mama. But Luna wasn't mad about it—she loved Mama more than anything. Mama always told her that it was just the two of them, always, and Luna believed her.
But tonight, something felt off. Luna couldn't explain it, but she had a feeling that things were about to change. Maybe she would meet him—the man in the photo, the one with the serious face who looked so much like her.
Mama had told her that someday she would know everything. Luna didn't know if she was ready for that yet, but she had an inkling that the answer was closer than ever. It might come sooner than Mama was prepared for.
Aurelio's POV – Later that Night
Aurelio sat in the dim light of his office, the city skyline stretched out before him. He hadn't been able to shake the image of Raven's face when he'd asked her about Luna. The way her expression had faltered—so subtle, but he'd caught it.
There was something she wasn't telling him.
And it wasn't just about business. This wasn't about the investigation. This was about her—and the child he had seen her with earlier in the day. Who is Luna? He couldn't stop the question from repeating in his mind.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers absently tapping the desk. He wasn't an impulsive man. He didn't make decisions on a whim. But this? This was different. Raven's return had unsettled him in ways he hadn't anticipated, and the more he tried to push it aside, the more it consumed him.
Why had she come back? Why now?
And why, when he asked, did she shut down like that? It wasn't like her to hide behind walls. The Raven he had known in their youth had been bold, outspoken—she had never shied away from the truth, no matter how ugly it was.
But tonight, the walls were up. Solid. Impenetrable.
His mind wandered back to the last time he had seen her, all those years ago. The way her lips had tasted, the way she had felt in his arms, how she had been different from all the others. Raven had always been special, and that was why this felt like a betrayal. She had been his best friend's sister, someone he had shared too many memories with, too many secrets.
But then, the mess had happened—the one that sent her running. The one that forced him to take a step back. He didn't know the full details of what had happened, but he had seen the hurt in her eyes before she left, and it had gnawed at him.
Now, here she was, walking back into his life as if nothing had happened. And worse—she was hiding something.
Isabella's POV – Santoro Estate
Isabella stood at the window of her room, staring out at the glowing lights of the city, her thoughts tangled with the mess she found herself in. She knew that Aurelio was getting closer to the truth. There was no denying that. He was sharp—he always had been—and he had already started questioning Raven's actions.
Her heart weighed heavily as she thought about the years of silence between Raven and her. What had started as a promise to keep quiet for Raven's sake was slowly turning into an unbearable burden. How could she help both her brother and her friend when they were so completely on opposite sides?
She had been the one who had seen Raven's pain, who had witnessed the brokenness of the woman who had once been so full of life. And it was also her who had helped Raven escape when everything went to hell.
But now, all of it was coming to light. And Isabella knew that sooner or later, she would have to make a choice: between loyalty to her brother or protecting the secret that had consumed Raven's life.
She sighed and dropped her head into her hands, the weight of her responsibility pressing down on her chest. There was no easy way out of this.
Raven's POV – Alone in her Apartment
Raven couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face—the face she had worked so hard to forget. The way he had looked at her when she had lied. The way he had seen right through her.
She had to keep running. She had to stay ahead of him.
But the further she pushed him away, the closer he came.
And that was the scariest thing of all.
She glanced over at the photo of Luna on the mantel. Luna had no idea what her mama had been through. The sacrifice, the pain, the impossible choice that had brought them here.
"I'm sorry, baby," she whispered into the dark room, wishing that she could protect her daughter from the storm that was coming. But Raven knew—nothing could protect them forever.
Aurelio's POV – Midnight
Aurelio couldn't stop thinking about Luna. She had to be his child. The way she looked at him earlier—the way she had reacted—there was no denying it.
But Raven wouldn't admit it.
He wasn't sure what he was more furious about: the fact that she had hidden Luna from him, or that she had the audacity to come back into his life after all these years without telling him the truth.
The car pulled up outside Raven's building again, the engine idling in the quiet night. This time, Aurelio didn't hesitate.
He got out of the car, his heart pounding in his chest as he made his way toward the building.
One way or another, he was going to find out the truth.