Chapter 3 - THE TICKET IN THE RAIN
Nobody spoke.
The clinking of silverware, the soft jazz playing from the corner speakers, the polite murmurs of Chicago’s elite—everything was dead silent.
Dominic stood perfectly still. He didn't turn around immediately. He let Victoria’s words hang in the air like smoke from a fired gun.
When he finally looked back at his sister, his expression was unreadable.
“What did you say?”
Victoria swallowed hard, but her chin remained high. She had cornered herself, and now she was fighting for her life.
“I said, you are blindly chasing a woman who abandoned you, Dominic. You think I am the villain here? You think I drove her away? I protected you.”
“From what?” Dominic demanded.
“From the truth! Do you think Caroline just woke up one morning and decided she was tired of being a mother? She left because she was terrified of what you are.”
Dominic flinched. The words hit him harder than a physical blow.
Because everyone in that room knew how Dominic Moretti made his money. The legitimate businesses were just a front. Caroline had grown up in the suburbs, a kindergarten teacher who fell in love with a charming businessman, only to slowly realize she had married into a syndicate.
“She knew who I was,” Dominic said, his voice low.
“She knew the man you pretended to be,” Victoria countered. “But four years ago, she found out about the docks. She found out about the money laundering. And she was going to the FBI, Dominic. She was going to turn you in to save Emily from this life.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked at Emily, who was clutching my apron, her wide eyes darting between her father and her aunt.
“You’re lying,” Dominic whispered.
“Am I?” Victoria reached into her designer evening bag. She pulled out a small, folded document and threw it onto the table next to the ruined cinnamon cake.
It was a one-way flight ticket.
Dated four years ago.
The destination was London. The passenger name: Caroline Moretti.
“She wasn't just leaving you, Dominic,” Victoria said cruelly. “She was taking the money from the offshore accounts, and she was going to disappear. I caught her trying to leave. I gave her a choice: walk away quietly without Emily, or I would tell you the truth, and you would handle her the way you handle all your traitors.”
Dominic stared at the ticket.
His entire world was fracturing in front of his eyes.
For four years, he believed his wife fell out of love with him. Now, his sister was telling him his wife believed he was a monster capable of murder.
I looked at the flight ticket.
Something was wrong.
I was just a housemaid. I shouldn't have spoken. I should have stood in the background and stayed invisible. But I looked at the date on the ticket. And I looked at Emily.
“Mr. Moretti,” I said softly.
Victoria snapped her head toward me. “Shut your mouth, Nora. You’ve done enough.”
But Dominic didn't look at Victoria. He looked at me.
“What is it, Nora?”
I stepped closer to the table, pointing a shaking finger at the ticket.
“Sir… the date on this flight. It’s November 12th.”
Dominic frowned. “That’s the day she left.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, my voice trembling. “But… it’s Miss Emily’s birthday today. November 14th.”
The room held its breath.
I looked up at Dominic.
“If she was running away to London to start a new life with millions of dollars… why did she wait two days to leave? Why would she plan her escape exactly two days before her daughter’s sixth birthday?”
Dominic’s eyes widened.
He picked up the ticket. He stared at the date. Then he looked at Victoria.
“Caroline would never willingly miss Emily’s birthday,” Dominic whispered, the realization washing over him like ice water. “She spent three weeks planning her sixth birthday party. She bought the balloons. She ordered the dress.”
Victoria’s confident facade began to crack. “She was desperate, Dominic—”
“No,” Dominic interrupted, stepping toward his sister. “She didn't buy this ticket. You did.”
Victoria backed away, bumping into a chair. “Dominic, be reasonable.”
“You bought the ticket in her name,” Dominic said, his voice rising, the terrifying mafia boss finally breaking through the grieving husband. “You staged her escape. You forced her out.”
“I DID IT FOR THIS FAMILY!” Victoria screamed.
“WHERE IS SHE?!” Dominic roared, his voice shaking the crystal glasses on the tables.
Victoria shook her head, tears of pure panic streaming down her face. “I don't know! I swear to God, I haven't seen her since she left!”
Dominic turned away from her in disgust. He looked at Marco.
“The pawn shop on the receipt. Get the address. We leave right now.”
Marco nodded and pulled out his phone.
But as Dominic reached down to pick up Emily, the heavy double doors of the ballroom suddenly burst open.
A security guard ran inside, breathless and bleeding from a cut above his eye.
“Boss,” the guard gasped, holding his side.
Dominic froze. “What happened at the gate?”
“Two men,” the guard panted. “They just rammed the front gate with a black SUV. They didn't come in.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. “Then what did they do?”
The guard looked terrified.
“They threw a woman out of the car, sir. Onto the driveway. And they drove away.”
My stomach dropped to the floor.
Emily screamed, “Mommy!” and bolted toward the doors.
Dominic ran after her, the entire dinner party erupting into chaos behind them.
I followed blindly, my heart pounding so hard I couldn't hear my own footsteps. We burst through the front doors of the mansion and ran out into the freezing Chicago rain.
May you like
There, lying motionless on the wet cobblestones beneath the glow of the security lights, was a woman in a dark wool coat.
And clutched tightly in her bleeding hand was a single, pink frosting rose.
