Chapter 4 - The Cold in the Hallway
The examination was brief, painful, and definitive.
“Two cracked ribs on the right side,” Dr. Phillips said, packing away his portable scanner. He had taped my torso with tight, supportive medical wrap that smelled faintly of adhesive and menthol. “No punctured lung, thank God. But you need complete bed rest for at least three weeks. No lifting, no bending, no carrying heavy laundry baskets. If you push yourself, those cracks will become full fractures.”
“Three weeks?” I choked out, staring down at my bandaged side. “Doctor, I can't take three weeks off. I need this job. My rent—”
“Your job is not in danger, Miss Emma,” a deep voice said from the doorway.
Luca stood leaning against the doorframe, hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks. His overcoat was gone, his tie loosened, but the tension radiating off him had only amplified. In the shadows of the hallway behind him, two armed guards in dark suits stood watch—men I had never seen inside the private residential wing before.
Dr. Phillips closed his bag and stood up. “I’ve given her a mild sedative for the pain, Mr. Moretti. She needs to sleep. I’ll return tomorrow morning to check her vitals.”
“Thank you, Arthur. Matteo will see you out.”
The doctor gave a respectful nod and hurried out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him.
The puppy gave a soft yawn, curled tighter into a golden ball on the cushion beside me, and closed his eyes. The warmth of his little body against my hip was the only thing anchoring me to reality.
Luca walked over and stopped beside the sofa. He reached down, picking up a velvet blanket that had been draped over a nearby armchair, and gently laid it over my lap.
“You shouldn't have hidden it,” Luca said quietly.
“I didn't want to cause trouble, Mr. Moretti,” I whispered, looking down at my hands. “I know who she is. I know who her father is. I’m just... I’m the girl who sweeps the conservatory. People like me don't bring accusations against people like her.”
Luca’s jaw set. “People like her do not break people under my roof. Regardless of their last name.”
“She’s your fiancée.”
“She is a business contract,” Luca replied coldly. “One that just became exceedingly expensive for her family.”
He looked down at the sleeping puppy, then back to me. “You’re moving to the guest suite on the second floor tonight. The staff quarters in the basement are too damp and cold for healing lungs.”
My eyes widened in panic. “Mr. Moretti, no! I can't stay in the family wing. Isabella will—”
“Isabella will not lay a finger on you,” Luca interrupted, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “Isabella will not speak to you. She will not look in your direction. If she so much as steps within ten feet of your room, she will find herself answering to Matteo.”
He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. For a second, the sheer size and reputation of the man made my breath hitch. But there was no threat in his eyes. There was something else—something raw, protective, and intensely focused that I had never seen directed at anyone in this house.
“You protected the dog,” Luca murmured, his voice softening. “Even while your ribs were broken. Why?”
The question caught me off guard.
“Because he’s small,” I answered honestly, a tear slipping down my cheek before I could stop it. “Because he didn't have anyone else to stand between him and someone who wanted to hurt him.”
Luca stared at me. The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken truths. A flicker of something ancient and unreadable crossed his features—a look of profound, dangerous respect.
“Sleep, Emma,” he whispered finally. “Tomorrow, the rules change.”
He turned and strode out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.
I lay back against the cushions, the pain medication beginning to pull my eyelids down like lead weights. But as sleep took me, the echo of his words lingered in the quiet room.
*Tomorrow, the rules change.*
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I didn't know yet what those words meant. But in a city ruled by men like Luca Moretti, a change in the rules usually meant blood.
***
