Chapter 6 - GHOSTS OF THE PAST
The execution of Silvio sent a brutal message to the underworld: the Moretti family was not weakening; they were becoming more lethal. The Romanos pulled back, terrified by the sheer ferocity of Dominic's retaliation. For a brief window of time, peace descended on the estate.
During this quiet, Dominic finally sought the answers that had been haunting him. He sat in the sunroom with Isabella as she colored in a book, the afternoon sun warming the stone floors.
"Isabella," Dominic asked gently, "did Mommy ever talk about me? About why she left?"
Isabella paused her crayon. She looked out the window, her young eyes holding an old sorrow. "She said you were a king. But kings have a lot of enemies. She said if she stayed, the bad men would use me to hurt you."
Dominic's chest tightened. Sophia had known. Seven years ago, when she discovered she was pregnant, the war with the Russian syndicate had been at its bloodiest. Dominic had been a target every time he stepped outside. Sophia hadn't run because she stopped loving him; she ran to protect his child. She had lived in poverty, scrubbing floors and working double shifts in diners, to keep Isabella completely off the mafia's radar.
"She loved you," Isabella added quietly. "She cried on your birthday."
Tears, hot and unfamiliar, pricked the corners of Dominic's eyes. He reached out and stroked his daughter's hair. "I loved her too. More than anything. And I love you."
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He made a silent vow to Sophia's ghost. He would not fail this child. He would legitimize his empire, break away from the blood and the violence, and build a world where Isabella never had to look over her shoulder.
But the sins of the past demand a heavy toll, and Sal Romano was not finished.
