The Son He Never Knew

PART 2 — THE FATHER WHO CAME BACK

Dante Moretti had spent three years believing Elena Carter had disappeared because she no longer loved him.

Now he knew the truth.

She had returned to Chicago with a little boy who had his eyes.

And he wasn’t going to let her disappear again.

Within twenty minutes of seeing Leo at the airport, Dante had ordered his men to find Elena’s address.

“Boss, we found her rental car,” Marco, his head of security, reported. “She’s staying at a hotel downtown.”

“Get the address.”

“There’s something else. The boy’s name is Leo Carter. He’s almost three.”

Dante went completely still.

Almost three.

He calculated the dates in his head. Elena had left Chicago shortly after his wedding to Victoria. Three weeks later, she would have discovered her pregnancy.

His hands tightened into fists.

“My son,” he whispered.

That evening, Dante arrived at Elena’s hotel with only one bodyguard.

He knocked three times.

When the door opened, Elena stood there in a simple cream sweater, her face immediately turning pale.

“What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“We have nothing to discuss.”

“Eight years together, Elena. You owe me ten minutes.”

She laughed bitterly.

“I owed you eight years of honesty. You gave me nothing.”

Before Dante could respond, a small voice came from inside.

“Mommy?”

Leo appeared behind her, holding a stuffed bear.

Dante forgot how to breathe.

The little boy stared at him with those familiar gray eyes.

“Are you the man from the airport?”

Dante slowly lowered himself to one knee.

“Yes, little man.”

Leo tilted his head.

“Why do you look like me?”

A painful smile crossed Dante’s face.

“Maybe because we have something very special in common.”

Elena immediately stepped between them.

“Leo, sweetheart, go watch your cartoons.”

After the boy disappeared into the living room, Dante stood up.

“Is he mine?”

Elena looked directly into his eyes.

“Yes.”

The single word shattered something inside him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you were marrying my sister!”

Dante closed his eyes.

“Victoria and I were never supposed to be married.”

Elena’s expression hardened.

“Then why did you put a ring on her finger?”

“Because your father came to me six weeks before the wedding. He was dying, Elena. He told me Victoria had been diagnosed with a serious illness and asked me to protect her.”

Elena frowned.

“My father never told me that.”

“He made me promise not to reveal it. He believed she had very little time left.”

Dante paused.

“But there was another reason. Victoria had discovered information about my enemies. I thought marrying her would keep her safe.”

Elena shook her head.

“You could have told me.”

“I know.”

“You could have trusted me.”

“I know.”

“And instead, you let me watch you marry my own sister.”

Dante had no answer.

From the living room, Leo suddenly called out.

“Mommy! Can the gray-eyed man stay for dinner?”

Elena closed her eyes.

Dante looked toward the little boy.

For the first time in his life, the most feared man in Chicago looked completely helpless.