{"id":19165,"date":"2026-05-16T20:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T13:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=19165"},"modified":"2026-05-16T20:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T13:07:12","slug":"pregnant-and-shopping-for-my-baby-alone-i-ran-into-my-ex-mafia-boss-husband-and-his-new-girlfriend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=19165","title":{"rendered":"Pregnant and shopping for my baby alone, I ran into my ex mafia-boss husband and his new girlfriend."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Savannah\u2019s smile settled across the boutique like frost.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Maddie straightened slowly beside the crib, one hand still resting against the smooth pale wood. Her pulse hammered once\u2014hard enough to make the baby shift beneath her ribs\u2014but her face revealed nothing.<\/p>\n

Brandon had taught her that.<\/p>\n

Never react first.<\/p>\n

Never let the room know where to strike.<\/p>\n

For one suspended moment, no one moved.<\/p>\n

The saleswoman behind the counter lowered her eyes instantly, pretending to rearrange a stack of embroidered blankets. Two security men near the entrance became statues in dark suits. Even the soft instrumental music floating through hidden speakers seemed to disappear.<\/p>\n

Because everyone in that room recognized exactly what stood before them.<\/p>\n

A former Moretti wife.<\/p>\n

A current Moretti king.<\/p>\n

And the woman rumored to become his next queen.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s gaze remained fixed on Maddie.<\/p>\n

Not on her face.<\/p>\n

Lower.<\/p>\n

To the slight rise beneath her coat.<\/p>\n

Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.<\/p>\n

Maddie saw it instantly.<\/p>\n

Calculation.<\/p>\n

The same look he used before deciding whether someone lived, disappeared, or became an example.<\/p>\n

Savannah noticed too.<\/p>\n

Her manicured fingers tightened almost invisibly around Brandon\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddie Hayes,\u201d Savannah said smoothly. \u201cI heard you\u2019d vanished.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie finally pulled her hand from the crib rail. \u201cPeople hear many things in this city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Savannah\u2019s smile widened by half an inch.<\/p>\n

Brandon still had not spoken.<\/p>\n

That unsettled Maddie more than if he had exploded.<\/p>\n

Because Brandon Moretti was never silent unless he was thinking.<\/p>\n

And Brandon thinking was dangerous.<\/p>\n

His eyes moved over her carefully now, cataloging details the way he once memorized the exits of every room he entered.<\/p>\n

The loose coat.<\/p>\n

The slower posture.<\/p>\n

The protective way her hand drifted unconsciously toward her stomach.<\/p>\n

Understanding arrived in his expression like a blade sliding into place.<\/p>\n

Pregnant.<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s throat tightened.<\/p>\n

No one in the Moretti world was supposed to know.<\/p>\n

Not yet.<\/p>\n

Especially not him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandon,\u201d Savannah murmured lightly, though the tension beneath her tone was unmistakable. \u201cYou didn\u2019t mention your ex-wife shopped here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Brandon spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither did she.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice was low and calm.<\/p>\n

God.<\/p>\n

That voice still reached into places inside Maddie she hated.<\/p>\n

She remembered hearing it in dark bedrooms, whispered against her throat while rain hit penthouse windows. She remembered hearing it after gunfire, after funerals, after nights when he came home with blood on his cuffs and held her like she was the only clean thing left in his life.<\/p>\n

Now it sounded colder.<\/p>\n

Sharper.<\/p>\n

Like something forged instead of born.<\/p>\n

Maddie forced herself to meet his eyes directly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should continue your shopping,\u201d she said evenly. \u201cI was just leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat seems unlikely.\u201d<\/p>\n

His gaze dropped again.<\/p>\n

This time there was no mistaking it.<\/p>\n

He knew.<\/p>\n

Or suspected enough.<\/p>\n

Maddie felt the first genuine edge of fear scrape beneath her composure.<\/p>\n

Not fear for herself.<\/p>\n

Never herself.<\/p>\n

For the baby.<\/p>\n

Because if Brandon discovered the truth\u2014if he learned she had left him while carrying his child\u2014the consequences would spread through the city like gasoline finding flame.<\/p>\n

The Moretti family had no legitimate heirs.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s younger brother was dead.<\/p>\n

His cousins were unstable, ambitious, or both.<\/p>\n

A son born to Brandon Moretti would become valuable the second he took his first breath.<\/p>\n

Valuable things were hunted.<\/p>\n

Used.<\/p>\n

Kidnapped.<\/p>\n

Killed.<\/p>\n

And Brandon would never allow his heir to remain hidden from him.<\/p>\n

Savannah stepped forward gracefully. \u201cActually, darling, we came to look at bassinets for my sister\u2019s twins.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lie was elegant.<\/p>\n

Too elegant.<\/p>\n

Savannah had no sister.<\/p>\n

Maddie understood immediately.<\/p>\n

Savannah was marking territory.<\/p>\n

Reminding the room she belonged beside Brandon now.<\/p>\n

Maddie should have felt jealousy.<\/p>\n

Instead she felt tired.<\/p>\n

Exhausted in the marrow.<\/p>\n

Because she knew exactly what Savannah saw when she looked at Brandon.<\/p>\n

Power.<\/p>\n

Protection.<\/p>\n

A man terrifying enough to make the rest of the world feel safe.<\/p>\n

Maddie had once mistaken those things for love too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look well,\u201d Brandon said.<\/p>\n

A ridiculous statement.<\/p>\n

Maddie almost laughed.<\/p>\n

She had spent months sleeping lightly with a gun hidden beneath her mattress. Months changing routes, avoiding familiar places, cutting herself away from every person connected to the Morettis.<\/p>\n

She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n

But Brandon had never commented on weakness directly.<\/p>\n

He circled it.<\/p>\n

Pressed on it.<\/p>\n

Waited.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m surviving,\u201d she answered.<\/p>\n

Something moved behind his eyes at that.<\/p>\n

A flash of anger.<\/p>\n

Gone instantly.<\/p>\n

Savannah noticed again.<\/p>\n

Interesting.<\/p>\n

Very interesting.<\/p>\n

The boutique owner suddenly emerged from a side hallway, nervous energy hidden beneath practiced elegance.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Moretti,\u201d he greeted quickly. \u201cWe prepared the private viewing room upstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course they had.<\/p>\n

Men like Brandon did not shop publicly.<\/p>\n

Savannah tilted her head toward Maddie. \u201cPerhaps your former wife would like privacy too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former wife.<\/p>\n

The words landed intentionally.<\/p>\n

Maddie saw the challenge beneath them.<\/p>\n

You lost him.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s expression remained unreadable.<\/p>\n

Then, quietly, he said, \u201cGive us the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

The owner blinked. \u201cSir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want the showroom empty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every muscle in Maddie\u2019s body tightened.<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

Absolutely not.<\/p>\n

Being alone with Brandon Moretti was the last thing she needed.<\/p>\n

Savannah looked surprised too, though she concealed it beautifully.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandon\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n

One word.<\/p>\n

Soft.<\/p>\n

Deadly.<\/p>\n

The owner moved immediately.<\/p>\n

Within seconds, employees vanished toward the back hallways. Security repositioned themselves outside the glass entrance. The boutique fell silent.<\/p>\n

Savannah remained still beside Brandon.<\/p>\n

Then she smiled faintly at Maddie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll wait upstairs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But before she turned away, her eyes drifted meaningfully toward Maddie\u2019s stomach.<\/p>\n

She knew too.<\/p>\n

Or suspected enough to become dangerous.<\/p>\n

Wonderful.<\/p>\n

Just wonderful.<\/p>\n

The second Savannah disappeared up the staircase, Maddie grabbed her purse from beside the crib.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon stepped into her path.<\/p>\n

Not aggressively.<\/p>\n

He simply occupied space the way storms occupied sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n

No greeting.<\/p>\n

No pretense.<\/p>\n

Straight to the kill.<\/p>\n

Maddie lifted her chin. \u201cObservant as always.\u201d<\/p>\n

His jaw flexed once.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far along?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not your concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something cold entered his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt becomes my concern if someone tied to my name is carrying a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no one tied to your name here.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mistake.<\/p>\n

She saw it instantly.<\/p>\n

Because Brandon\u2019s attention sharpened with terrifying precision.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou divorced me six months ago,\u201d he said slowly.<\/p>\n

Maddie said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cEight months pregnant,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Silence stretched.<\/p>\n

Brandon took one step closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose child is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question should not have hurt.<\/p>\n

But it did.<\/p>\n

Deeply.<\/p>\n

Because after everything they had been to each other, after every secret and wound and sleepless night, part of him still believed she could belong to another man.<\/p>\n

Maddie forced steel into her spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t get to ask me that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hell I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sudden edge in his voice sliced through the room.<\/p>\n

For the first time since entering the boutique, emotion cracked through his composure.<\/p>\n

Rage.<\/p>\n

Real rage.<\/p>\n

Maddie saw nearby security glance toward the glass doors.<\/p>\n

No one entered.<\/p>\n

No one would dare.<\/p>\n

Brandon lowered his voice again with visible effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnswer me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie met his stare.<\/p>\n

And lied.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe isn\u2019t yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

The silence afterward became monstrous.<\/p>\n

Brandon did not move.<\/p>\n

Did not blink.<\/p>\n

But Maddie watched the impact hit him anyway.<\/p>\n

A tiny shift in breathing.<\/p>\n

A hardening around the mouth.<\/p>\n

The kind of damage only someone who knew him intimately would notice.<\/p>\n

Good.<\/p>\n

Let him hurt.<\/p>\n

She had hurt enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Because if you know the truth, our child becomes a target.<\/p>\n

Because your enemies would cut my baby from my body to punish you.<\/p>\n

Because I watched what your world did to innocent people.<\/p>\n

Because I left to save him.<\/p>\n

But Maddie only said, \u201cBecause whether you believe it or not changes nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon stared at her for a long moment.<\/p>\n

Then he laughed once.<\/p>\n

The sound held no amusement.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou disappeared without warning,\u201d he said. \u201cYou emptied accounts I told you to keep. Changed your name. Hid for months. And now I find you pregnant in a protected boutique built for organized crime families.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes darkened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re either carrying my child, or you\u2019re in more danger than I imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s fingers tightened around her purse strap.<\/p>\n

Danger.<\/p>\n

There it was.<\/p>\n

Always.<\/p>\n

Every road led back to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can handle myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question struck harder than it should have.<\/p>\n

Because Brandon knew exactly what she had survived beside him.<\/p>\n

Kidnapping attempts.<\/p>\n

Bomb threats.<\/p>\n

A sniper bullet through a restaurant window three years ago.<\/p>\n

The night his enemies burned a warehouse while she was still inside.<\/p>\n

He had reached her in time.<\/p>\n

Barely.<\/p>\n

Afterward he had held her against his chest while the building collapsed behind them.<\/p>\n

And for the first time in their marriage, Maddie had seen him afraid.<\/p>\n

Truly afraid.<\/p>\n

Not for himself.<\/p>\n

For her.<\/p>\n

That was the problem with loving dangerous men.<\/p>\n

Sometimes they loved you back.<\/p>\n

And that made leaving almost impossible.<\/p>\n

Almost.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s protecting you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019re vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t enough anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s stomach tightened.<\/p>\n

The baby shifted again.<\/p>\n

Brandon noticed instantly.<\/p>\n

Every line of his body went still.<\/p>\n

His gaze locked onto the movement beneath her coat.<\/p>\n

For one terrible second, emotion crossed his face so openly it nearly broke her.<\/p>\n

Wonder.<\/p>\n

Raw and unguarded.<\/p>\n

He stepped closer before she could stop him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddie\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She backed away immediately.<\/p>\n

The movement sliced through him visibly.<\/p>\n

His hand stopped midair.<\/p>\n

The memory flashed between them both.<\/p>\n

The last night.<\/p>\n

The screaming.<\/p>\n

The shattered whiskey glass.<\/p>\n

Brandon ordering her into lockdown after another assassination attempt.<\/p>\n

Maddie accusing him of loving control more than her.<\/p>\n

And then\u2014<\/p>\n

The words.<\/p>\n

The unforgivable words.<\/p>\n

If you walk out that door, don\u2019t come back.<\/p>\n

She had left anyway.<\/p>\n

Because by then she already knew she was pregnant.<\/p>\n

And she knew her child would never survive inside Brandon\u2019s empire.<\/p>\n

Not untouched.<\/p>\n

Not innocent.<\/p>\n

Footsteps clicked softly from the staircase.<\/p>\n

Savannah returned.<\/p>\n

Perfect timing.<\/p>\n

Her eyes moved instantly between them, reading tension like language.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I interrupting?\u201d she asked pleasantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Maddie answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Brandon said at the same time.<\/p>\n

Savannah\u2019s smile sharpened.<\/p>\n

Interesting again.<\/p>\n

She approached Brandon slowly, slipping beside him with practiced intimacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should go,\u201d she murmured. \u201cYour father\u2019s expecting us at dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the mention of Matteo Moretti, cold slid down Maddie\u2019s spine.<\/p>\n

The old don rarely appeared publicly anymore, but his influence remained everywhere.<\/p>\n

If Matteo learned Brandon had an unborn child\u2014<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

She could not let that happen.<\/p>\n

Brandon ignored Savannah completely.<\/p>\n

His eyes remained on Maddie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you staying?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie nearly smiled.<\/p>\n

There was the real Brandon.<\/p>\n

Direct.<\/p>\n

Relentless.<\/p>\n

Always gathering information.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot your business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt becomes my business if someone\u2019s hunting you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody is hunting me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lie.<\/p>\n

And judging from his expression, Brandon knew it.<\/p>\n

Because she had seen the black SUV parked outside her Brooklyn street three nights ago.<\/p>\n

The same SUV that appeared again yesterday.<\/p>\n

She had changed routes twice afterward.<\/p>\n

Still, it returned.<\/p>\n

Maybe paranoia.<\/p>\n

Maybe not.<\/p>\n

In Brandon\u2019s world, surviving depended on assuming the worst.<\/p>\n

Savannah crossed her arms lightly. \u201cThis seems dramatic for an ex-wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie finally looked directly at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should leave before dramatic becomes dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Savannah\u2019s eyes flashed.<\/p>\n

There.<\/p>\n

A crack beneath the polished surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe always spoke to people like that?\u201d Savannah asked Brandon.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe usually had a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

The automatic defense startled all three of them.<\/p>\n

Especially Brandon.<\/p>\n

Silence followed.<\/p>\n

Then Savannah laughed softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow nostalgic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie suddenly felt exhausted beyond words.<\/p>\n

She did not belong here anymore.<\/p>\n

Not among the silk blankets and hidden weapons and old loyalties masquerading as luxury.<\/p>\n

She belonged in her tiny brownstone with the peeling kitchen paint and the secondhand crib mattress waiting in storage.<\/p>\n

She belonged somewhere anonymous.<\/p>\n

Safe.<\/p>\n

If such a place even existed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m done here,\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n

This time, Brandon stepped aside.<\/p>\n

But his voice stopped her before she reached the doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddie.\u201d<\/p>\n

She paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should\u2019ve told me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pain threaded beneath the words.<\/p>\n

Real pain.<\/p>\n

She closed her eyes briefly.<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t get to sound wounded.<\/p>\n

Not after years of dragging violence home like it belonged there.<\/p>\n

Not after making her choose daily between loving him and surviving him.<\/p>\n

Without turning around, she said, \u201cYou lost the right to know things about me when you made me afraid to raise a child in your world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The silence behind her became suffocating.<\/p>\n

Then she walked out.<\/p>\n

The cold Manhattan air hit her immediately.<\/p>\n

A black town car waited near the curb.<\/p>\n

Not hers.<\/p>\n

Of course not.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s security detail lingered nearby pretending not to watch her.<\/p>\n

Maddie ignored them and started down the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

Steady.<\/p>\n

Controlled.<\/p>\n

Do not run.<\/p>\n

Running invited pursuit.<\/p>\n

She turned the corner.<\/p>\n

Then another.<\/p>\n

Only when the boutique disappeared behind buildings did she allow herself to breathe.<\/p>\n

Her hands trembled.<\/p>\n

Damn it.<\/p>\n

This changed everything.<\/p>\n

Brandon knew.<\/p>\n

Maybe not fully.<\/p>\n

But enough.<\/p>\n

And Brandon Moretti never stopped searching once suspicion took hold.<\/p>\n

A vibration buzzed inside her purse.<\/p>\n

Maddie froze.<\/p>\n

Very few people had this number.<\/p>\n

She pulled out the phone carefully.<\/p>\n

Unknown caller.<\/p>\n

Every instinct screamed at her not to answer.<\/p>\n

She answered anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n

Static crackled briefly.<\/p>\n

Then a man\u2019s voice said quietly:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to disappear again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie stopped walking.<\/p>\n

The voice was distorted.<\/p>\n

Artificial.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey found out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ice spread through her chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho found out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who killed Luca Moretti.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s blood turned to stone.<\/p>\n

Luca.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s younger brother.<\/p>\n

Dead eighteen months.<\/p>\n

Officially murdered during a port negotiation gone wrong.<\/p>\n

Unofficially?<\/p>\n

Nobody knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey know about the baby,\u201d the voice continued. \u201cAnd they think Brandon doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s breath caught.<\/p>\n

Impossible.<\/p>\n

How?<\/p>\n

\u201cListen carefully,\u201d the caller said urgently. \u201cIf Brandon learns the truth before you reach safe ground, they\u2019ll use you both to start a war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

But the line disconnected.<\/p>\n

Maddie stared at the dead screen.<\/p>\n

Her pulse thundered so violently she felt dizzy.<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

No, no, no.<\/p>\n

Someone knew.<\/p>\n

Someone had known long enough to track her.<\/p>\n

And if enemies connected her unborn child to Brandon\u2014<\/p>\n

A black SUV rolled slowly around the far corner.<\/p>\n

The exact same SUV she\u2019d seen near her brownstone.<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s heart slammed.<\/p>\n

The windows were tinted.<\/p>\n

The vehicle slowed.<\/p>\n

Watching.<\/p>\n

She turned instantly and walked the opposite direction.<\/p>\n

Not too fast.<\/p>\n

Not panic.<\/p>\n

Think.<\/p>\n

Crowded areas.<\/p>\n

Multiple exits.<\/p>\n

The SUV continued behind her.<\/p>\n

God.<\/p>\n

She slipped into a busy crosswalk just before the light changed. Horns erupted as traffic halted.<\/p>\n

The SUV could not follow immediately.<\/p>\n

Maddie kept moving.<\/p>\n

Left.<\/p>\n

Another block.<\/p>\n

A hotel entrance.<\/p>\n

She crossed through the lobby, exited through a side corridor, then emerged onto another street.<\/p>\n

Still there.<\/p>\n

The SUV appeared again at the far intersection.<\/p>\n

Definitely following.<\/p>\n

Fear threatened to overtake her at last.<\/p>\n

Not now.<\/p>\n

Not now.<\/p>\n

The baby kicked sharply.<\/p>\n

Maddie pressed a hand protectively against her stomach while hurrying toward the subway entrance.<\/p>\n

A hand closed suddenly around her arm.<\/p>\n

She nearly screamed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon.<\/p>\n

Relief and fury collided so violently she almost struck him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d she hissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re being followed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course he noticed.<\/p>\n

Brandon pulled her into the shadow beside the station stairs.<\/p>\n

Two men in dark coats appeared nearby instantly\u2014his security.<\/p>\n

The black SUV rolled past the intersection slowly.<\/p>\n

One of Brandon\u2019s men touched an earpiece. \u201cDriver confirmed. Unknown plates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s expression became terrifyingly calm.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long?\u201d he asked Maddie.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should\u2019ve called me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather set myself on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes flashed despite the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill arrogant.\u201d<\/p>\n

One corner of his mouth almost moved.<\/p>\n

Then vanished.<\/p>\n

He looked back toward the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet her into the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon turned slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddie\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have a choice anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anger surged hot through her fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if someone\u2019s targeting my\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He stopped himself.<\/p>\n

But too late.<\/p>\n

My child.<\/p>\n

The unspoken words hung between them.<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s chest tightened.<\/p>\n

Brandon saw it.<\/p>\n

And understanding exploded across his face.<\/p>\n

Not suspicion now.<\/p>\n

Certainty.<\/p>\n

Absolute certainty.<\/p>\n

His gaze dropped to her stomach.<\/p>\n

Then rose back to her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou lied to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quiet.<\/p>\n

Deadly quiet.<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s pulse roared.<\/p>\n

Around them, Manhattan traffic screamed and surged, oblivious.<\/p>\n

One of Brandon\u2019s security men approached quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoss, we need to move.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon never looked away from Maddie.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far along exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n

She said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty-four weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer changed him.<\/p>\n

She saw it happen in real time.<\/p>\n

A wall inside him shifted.<\/p>\n

Eight months.<\/p>\n

His child.<\/p>\n

His heir.<\/p>\n

Alive.<\/p>\n

Brandon inhaled slowly, like a man trying to survive impact.<\/p>\n

Then his hand lifted carefully toward her stomach again.<\/p>\n

This time Maddie did not move away.<\/p>\n

Not because she trusted him.<\/p>\n

Because exhaustion finally outweighed resistance.<\/p>\n

His palm settled lightly against the curve beneath her coat.<\/p>\n

The baby kicked instantly.<\/p>\n

Brandon froze.<\/p>\n

Every hard line in his face shattered.<\/p>\n

For one impossible second, the feared head of the Moretti empire looked simply human.<\/p>\n

A father.<\/p>\n

Maddie felt tears threaten unexpectedly.<\/p>\n

Damn hormones.<\/p>\n

Damn memories.<\/p>\n

Brandon swallowed once.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddie blinked. \u201cYou think it\u2019s a boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Typical Brandon.<\/p>\n

Certain even when impossible.<\/p>\n

The SUV suddenly accelerated toward the curb.<\/p>\n

Brandon\u2019s expression transformed instantly back into lethal focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cDown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everything exploded at once.<\/p>\n

One of the SUV windows lowered.<\/p>\n

Gunfire cracked through the street.<\/p>\n

People screamed.<\/p>\n

Brandon grabbed Maddie violently, twisting his body around hers as his security team drew weapons.<\/p>\n

Glass shattered nearby.<\/p>\n

A car alarm shrieked.<\/p>\n

Brandon shoved Maddie behind a concrete pillar at the subway entrance while bullets sparked against stone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMove!\u201d one guard shouted.<\/p>\n

The street became chaos.<\/p>\n

Pedestrians ran in every direction.<\/p>\n

The SUV swerved hard around traffic while Brandon\u2019s men returned fire.<\/p>\n

Maddie crouched instinctively, both hands over her stomach.<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

No no no\u2014<\/p>\n

Brandon knelt beside her, gun already drawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you hit?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head breathlessly.<\/p>\n

His hand gripped the back of her neck briefly.<\/p>\n

Possessive.<\/p>\n

Protective.<\/p>\n

Alive.<\/p>\n

Another burst of gunfire erupted.<\/p>\n

Then tires screamed.<\/p>\n

The SUV sped away.<\/p>\n

One of Brandon\u2019s men cursed into his radio.<\/p>\n

\u201cLost visual!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sirens echoed in the distance now.<\/p>\n

Too late.<\/p>\n

Always too late.<\/p>\n

Brandon turned back to Maddie.<\/p>\n

His eyes were murder.<\/p>\n

Not directed at her.<\/p>\n

At whoever had dared.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re coming with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time it wasn\u2019t a demand.<\/p>\n

It was fact.<\/p>\n

Maddie looked at the panic flooding the street around them.<\/p>\n

At the shattered glass.<\/p>\n

At the blood running from a graze across one security guard\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

Then at Brandon.<\/p>\n

The father of her child.<\/p>\n

The man she had run from.<\/p>\n

The only person terrifying enough to protect them now.<\/p>\n

She hated the truth of it.<\/p>\n

But she nodded.<\/p>\n

Brandon exhaled once, sharp with relief.<\/p>\n

He helped her stand carefully.<\/p>\n

Immediately his coat came off and wrapped around her shoulders despite the cold.<\/p>\n

Old habits.<\/p>\n

Old instincts.<\/p>\n

He guided her toward a waiting armored sedan that had appeared seemingly from nowhere.<\/p>\n

Before entering, Maddie glanced once toward the crowded street.<\/p>\n

Something caught her eye.<\/p>\n

Across the avenue, partially hidden beside a newspaper stand, stood Savannah.<\/p>\n

Watching.<\/p>\n

Perfectly calm.<\/p>\n

No fear.<\/p>\n

No surprise.<\/p>\n

And slowly\u2014very slowly\u2014Savannah lifted a phone to her ear while staring directly at Maddie.<\/p>\n

Then she smiled.<\/p>\n

Not politely.<\/p>\n

Knowingly.<\/p>\n

Maddie\u2019s blood went cold.<\/p>\n

Because in that instant she understood something horrifying.<\/p>\n

Savannah had not been caught in the middle of this.<\/p>\n

She had been expecting it.<\/p>\n

The sedan door slammed shut.<\/p>\n

Brandon climbed in beside her while his convoy surged into motion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d he asked immediately.<\/p>\n

Maddie kept staring through the tinted rear window as Savannah disappeared into the crowd.<\/p>\n

A terrible feeling settled into her bones.<\/p>\n

The kind that arrived before lives changed forever.<\/p>\n

Slowly, she turned back toward Brandon.<\/p>\n

And for the first time since leaving him, Maddie wondered if she had misunderstood everything.<\/p>\n

Because maybe the greatest threat to their child had never been Brandon Moretti.<\/p>\n

Maybe it was the woman standing beside him all along.<\/p>\n

And somewhere deep in Manhattan, unseen by either of them, a second phone began to ring.<\/p>\n

The caller ID displayed only two words.<\/p>\n

MORETTI HEIR.<\/p>\n

And the man answering it smiled.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Savannah\u2019s smile settled across the boutique like frost. Maddie straightened slowly beside the crib, one hand still resting against the smooth pale wood. Her pulse hammered once\u2014hard enough to make … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,22,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-inspiration","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19167,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19165\/revisions\/19167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}