Part 3
The apartment was small.
It smelled of lavender, vanilla, and the cheap detergent Lucia used.
It was a home.
A real home, unlike the cold, marble fortress Tomaso lived in alone.
Tomaso closed the heavy wooden door and locked it.
He slid the deadbolt into place with a definitive click.
Lucia immediately ushered the twins toward their bedroom.
"Matteo, Leo, go inside your room. Play with your blocks. Mommy will be right there."
The boys looked at Tomaso one last time before running into their room.
The door clicked shut.
The moment they were gone, the air in the living room shattered.
"How dare you," Lucia breathed, turning on him like a wounded lioness.
"How dare you bring your war to my doorstep!"
"I didn't bring it here, Lucia. They tracked your bank account," Tomaso said.
He walked slowly around the small room.
His eyes took in everything.
The worn-out sofa.
The small dining table with three chairs.
The drawings taped to the refrigerator.
It broke something inside him to see how she had lived while he had millions.
"You changed your name, but you used an old account to buy medicine for Leo last month," Tomaso continued.
"The Rossis have hackers. They flagged it."
"And how did you find me?" she demanded, tears of frustration gathering in her eyes.
"I have better hackers," he said simply.
He stopped right in front of her.
The height difference between them was intimidating.
He towered over her, casting a long shadow.
"Five years, Lucia," he whispered.
His hand reached out, his fingers hovering just inches from her cheek.
He wanted to touch her so badly it ached.
But he saw the way she flinched.
He saw the pure hatred and fear in her eyes.
And his hand dropped back to his side.
"You left me," he said, the pain finally bleeding into his voice.
"I didn't leave you," Lucia spat out, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.
"I found you. In our bed. With my sister."
"You threw me away first, Tomaso."
Tomaso’s face hardened into stone.
"What you saw that night... it wasn't what you think."
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"I saw her smiling under you!" Lucia screamed, her voice cracking.
"Don't lie to me! Not after five years!"
