Chapter 4 - The Whispers of the Past
The air in the study turned ice-cold. Adriana felt her breath catch in her throat, the familiar, suffocating terror of six months ago rushing back to consume her. She gripped the edge of the desk to keep her knees from buckling.
"They know," she whispered. "Damon... if Silvio finds out I'm alive, if he finds out about the baby..."
Damon was on his feet in an instant. He walked around the desk, his massive frame completely shielding her from the door, as if he could physically block out the danger. He placed his large hands on her shoulders, grounding her.
"Look at me," he commanded softly. "Adriana, look at me."
She lifted her tear-brimming eyes to his.
"Six months ago, I was blind-sided," Damon said, his voice a steady, unbreakable promise. "I was running a war on two fronts, and I didn't see the strike coming. But today? I see everything. Silvio Barretti is a dinosaur hiding in a cave. Marcus Marquetti is a drowning man clutching at a razor blade. They cannot hurt you. I will dismantle them piece by piece before they even breathe your name."
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"But the baby," she wept, pressing her hand against her belly, where she could feel the faint, anxious kicks of her unborn son. "I wanted peace, Damon. I ran away because I didn't want him to grow up around guns, around men in black suits, around the constant fear that his father—or his protector—wouldn't come home."
"I know," Damon said, his voice cracking slightly as he looked down at her. "And I swear to you, once this is over, you will have your peace. Even if I have to leave this city myself to ensure it."
