Raven had never been afraid of silence—until now.
It filled the hospital room like fog, thick and heavy, threatening to drown her. Aurelio hadn't said much since Luna fell back asleep. He'd sat beside the bed, arms folded, his stormy gaze lost in thought. But it wasn't indifference. It was calculation. Protection. Conflict.
He was reeling. She could feel it in the space between them.
She wanted to speak—to explain more than she had earlier—but the words stuck in her throat like thorns. How did you apologize for stealing six years from a man?
From a father.
From a daughter.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, the words barely audible over the soft beeping of the monitor.
Aurelio looked at her, his face unreadable. "Not good enough."
"I know."
The silence returned, heavier this time.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on the floor. "She asked if I was mad at you. And I didn't know what to say."
Raven swallowed. "You had every right to be."
"She has my eyes." His voice cracked slightly. "And I missed it. All of it."
Raven reached for him before she could stop herself. Her fingers brushed his, tentative.
"She's still yours," she said softly. "She always was. Even when I hated you. Even when I left. She was the one part of you I couldn't let go of."
He didn't pull away.
Didn't speak.
But his hand turned, palm up, threading his fingers slowly with hers.
"I thought I could keep her safe by staying away," she continued, her throat tightening. "But danger found us anyway."
His eyes snapped to hers. "What kind of danger?"
Raven hesitated. "I've been working on a task force that investigates shell companies funding underground trafficking rings—arms, drugs, people. One of the names that popped up… was linked to Santoro shipping manifests."
Aurelio stiffened. "You think my company—"
"No," she cut in. "I think someone's using your legitimate empire to hide illegal activity under your nose. Someone close. Someone inside."
The temperature in the room dropped. Raven could see it—the way his mind shifted from hurt father to cold-blooded boss in seconds.
"You're not here by accident," he said quietly. "You were sent here."
"Yes."
"Did Isabella know?"
"She found out the day I arrived. I didn't hide it. But we agreed to keep it quiet while I looked into it more discreetly."
Aurelio stood, pacing now. "And the attempt on your life—"
"Is connected," she finished. "The moment I got too close, someone tried to silence me. I didn't realize until it was too late."
"And now Luna's in this," he muttered, rage simmering behind every word.
"I didn't want that," she said quickly. "I kept her out of everything. But we were followed even before I got to the city."
Aurelio stopped at the window. His shoulders were tense, his back a solid wall of restrained violence.
"I'll find them," he said. "Whoever is doing this. I'll make sure they regret ever breathing."
"Aurelio—"
He turned, and the pain in his eyes nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.
"You think I'm angry because you left? Or because you lied?" His voice was raw now. "I'm angry because you were suffering. And I wasn't there. You carried our child alone. And I can't go back and change that."
She blinked, hard. "You were becoming something dangerous. I was scared."
He took a step closer. "And what if I still am?"
"Then I'll be scared," she said bravely, "but I won't run again."
He stared at her. Then at Luna.
Then something inside him softened—just barely.
"She called me 'Sir' earlier," he said after a moment, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"She's polite," Raven murmured.
"I don't want her to call me that," he said. "I want her to call me Papa. Or Dad. Something… real."
Raven smiled through a wash of tears. "Give her time."
Their moment was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.
Isabella peeked in. Her face was tense.
"We have a problem," she said.
Aurelio straightened. "What now?"
Isabella entered fully, holding her phone. "A news outlet just released a story. A whistleblower from within the Santoro Holdings claimed there's been offshore laundering through dummy accounts tied to trafficking networks."
Raven's heart dropped. "They're trying to discredit you."
"They're trying to crucify me," Aurelio muttered, jaw clenched.
"But that's not all," Isabella said. "They included a picture of Raven. A recent one. And a blurry image of Luna."
Aurelio's eyes darkened. "They're making this personal."
Raven stood, her legs still weak, but her spine straight. "Then we hit back. We expose them first. We find out who's behind this, and we bury them with the truth."
Aurelio stepped toward her.
Close enough that she could smell the scent of his cologne. Dark leather and storm.
"You're staying with me," he said. "Both of you. Until this is over."
She hesitated. "That's not safe."
"I'm the safest place you have now."
His hand brushed her cheek.
And for the first time since she returned, she didn't pull away.