Chapter 5 - SECRETS UNBLOWN
The ballroom had emptied out in record time. Within ten minutes, the terrified guests, politicians, and capos had fled the estate like rats from a sinking ship, leaving behind only scattered champagne glasses, trampled flowers, and the heavy, lingering scent of drama.
Lucas carried Nadia upstairs, away from the grand halls, away from the staring eyes, and straight into the master suite—a sprawling, wood-paneled sanctuary overlooking the dark, churning waters of the Providence river.
He set her down gently on the edge of the velvet-upholstered king-sized bed, kneeling immediately in front of her to check her ankles, her hands, and the seven-month swell of her belly.
"Are you hurt? Did she push you? Do we need a doctor?" Lucas asked, his usual commanding authority replaced by an intense, frantic care that revealed just how deeply terrified he had been.
"I'm fine, Lucas. The baby is fine," Nadia said softly, reaching out with a trembling hand to cup his rugged cheek. Her fingers traced the faint scar over his eyebrow. "You... you shouldn't have blown up your entire political alliance for me tonight. The Rossi family will come after you."
Lucas caught her hand, pressing a fierce, lingering kiss to her palm. "Let them come. For three years, I lived in a house built on ashes, thinking you were dead, Nadia. When I found out your husband—my cousin, who betrayed our family and stole your identity—died in that crash, I spent every waking hour looking for you. When you walked into my kitchen six months ago, pregnant, wearing a maid's uniform to protect your brother... I wanted to scoop you up and lock you in this room where no one could ever touch you again."
Nadia’s breath hitched. "My brother... Dima... do you know where he is?"
Lucas stood up, walking over to a heavy oak desk and unlocking a sliding drawer. He pulled out a fresh, encrypted file folder and handed it to her.
"Your brother isn't dead," Lucas said quietly. "The Rossi family staged his disappearance because he found out they were funneling money through your husband's shipping accounts. He’s hidden in a safehouse upstate under federal protection. I was finalizing his extraction protocol on the phone right before I came down to the ballroom."
Nadia opened the folder. Inside were photographs—recent ones. Her brother, looking older, thinner, but alive, sitting on a porch with a cup of coffee.
Tears broke free, streaming down Nadia’s cheeks, but this time they weren't tears of fear or sorrow. They were tears of a burden lifting—a three-year nightmare finally coming to an end.
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"You did all this..." Nadia whispered, looking up at him with swimming eyes. "While everyone thought you were cold, unfeeling... you were protecting us."
"I am a monster to everyone else, Nadia," Lucas said, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and resting his head gently against her seven-month-pregnant belly. He closed his eyes, listening to the muffled heartbeat within. "But to you... to this child... I am yours."
