Rain fell lightly over Ridge Hollow as the sun tried to rise behind thick clouds. The events from the night before still weighed on everyone like a shadow that refused to lift. Aria hadn't slept. Not really. She'd stayed curled on the floor with Nico on one side and Nino on the other, both boys clinging to her as if she might disappear.
She couldn't stop staring at them. She would close her eyes and still see Anton's hand on her son's shoulder. Still hear that click of the gun. Still feel the helplessness choking her.
She'd almost traded her life for them.
And she would do it again.
Luciano sat at the edge of the bed, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled to his elbows. His knuckles were raw. Bloody. His eyes had that look again... dark, distant, the kind of cold that scared even hardened men.
"Did they sleep?" he asked quietly, eyes fixed on the boys.
"Barely," Aria whispered. "They kept waking up asking if it was a dream."
"I should've killed him sooner," he said, voice tight. "I should've known someone like Anton wouldn't stop at threats."
"You saved them, Luca."
"I froze."
"You didn't. You waited. You aimed. You made sure they lived."
His jaw moved, but he didn't speak.
She crossed the room, placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't punish yourself for surviving," she said softly. "You did what you had to."
He looked at her finally, and something in his eyes cracked.
"I almost lost you."
Aria pulled his hand into hers. "You didn't. I'm still here."
She wanted to say more, but Nico stirred behind her.
"Mom?" his tiny voice called.
She rushed to him, holding his face gently. "I'm here, baby. I'm right here."
"Can we go home now?" he asked, voice small. "I don't like this place."
Her heart broke a little.
"This is home," she said. "But if you want to go somewhere else, we can. Anywhere you want."
"Can we go where the sun lives?" Nino asked, sitting up beside his brother. "Where it never rains?"
She smiled through tears. "We can try."
Luciano watched the three of them, a strange warmth pressing at his chest. He never thought he'd see something like this—Aria safe, his sons alive, asking about the sun.
But peace never lasted long in his world.
Matteo entered the room an hour later, his face pale.
"We've got a problem," he said, handing Luciano a thin file. "Bigger than Anton."
Luciano opened it slowly, scanning the contents.
He froze.
Then stood.
Aria looked up, her smile fading. "What is it?"
He didn't answer right away.
Matteo stepped in. "The man funding Anton? The one pulling the strings?"
Luciano dropped the file on the table.
It was a photo.
Of Alessandro De Rossi.
Luciano's uncle.
The man who raised him after his father died. The man who taught him the rules of the game. The man who used to call him "little lion" and say he was destined to rule.
"He's been hiding in Europe," Matteo said. "Running black market ops through Dubai, Berlin, and the lower ports."
Aria blinked. "Why would he go after your sons?"
Luciano's voice was flat. "Because I was supposed to die years ago. And when I didn't, he lost his chance to own the empire."
"So this isn't about revenge," she said.
"No. It's about power. And he just made it personal."
Aria felt her throat tighten. "If he's your family—"
"He stopped being family the day he ordered the hit on my father."
Luciano left that night.
No goodbye kiss.
No long embrace.
Just a simple promise: "I'll end this before it touches you again."
Aria watched his car disappear down the road, heart pounding. Part of her wanted to chase after him. The other part whispered that maybe… he wasn't coming back this time.
For two days, silence filled the house. The boys slowly began laughing again. Aria forced herself to cook, clean, hum little songs like she used to.
But every time she turned on the TV or checked her phone, she waited for a headline.
She waited for something to go wrong.
It didn't take long.
A man showed up on the third night.
Tall. Suit. Expensive shoes. Kind smile.
He said his name was Dr. Elias Grant. Said he was a child trauma specialist sent by the state.
"I was contacted after the abduction report," he said. "The department offers complimentary therapy for families in extreme cases."
Aria felt her walls go up. "I didn't ask for that."
"Most don't," he said, still smiling. "But it's confidential. Gentle. No pressure."
The boys peeked from behind the couch.
Dr. Grant bent down, smiling. "Hi there. I'm Elias. I've got a toy dinosaur in my car with nobody to play with it. Want to help me out?"
The boys giggled.
Aria hesitated.
He had the right badge. The right tone. The right papers.
Still… something in her gut felt wrong.
She agreed to let him talk to them but only in the living room, and only while she watched.
The session was quiet. Elias asked about dreams, fears, favorite foods. He never once said the word kidnapping or danger. He let Nico draw and asked Nino about superheroes.
When it ended, he smiled.
"They're strong boys," he said. "You did something right."
He walked to the door, then turned back.
"Oh... and tell Mr. De Rossi I said hello."
Aria froze.
"I thought this came from the state."
Elias smiled again. "It did. But he pays me well to do my job better."
She didn't smile back. "Next time, call first."
His smile didn't move. "Next time, I won't knock."
The door clicked shut.
Aria stood frozen in place, heart pounding. The boys went back to their toys, but her mind spun.
She called Luca.
Straight to voicemail.
She tried again.
Nothing.
Later that evening, Luciano finally answered with a voice message.
"Safe house breached. Don't call again. Wait for my word."
Nothing else.
No location.
No name.
No voice.
Just one cold, clipped message.
That night, Aria packed a bag. Just in case. She kept it under the bed, Extra clothes, Food. A burner phone. She didn't tell the boys. She didn't tell anyone.
She didn't sleep.
The next morning, she checked her front porch.
A white envelope.
No name.
Inside was a photo.
Nico.
Nino.
Taken that day at the park.
She flipped the photo.
Three words were scrawled in red ink.
We never left.