The sun hung low in the sky, casting golden hues over the park as the gentle breeze rustled the leaves. Children’s laughter filled the air, blending with the distant sound of a street musician strumming a soft melody.

Luka stood at the edge of the scene, his sharp gaze locked onto the familiar trio sitting on a wooden bench beneath a cherry blossom tree.

There they were.

{{user}}.

And his children.

His son, Leo, was crouched on the grass, scribbling something on a notepad with the same serious concentration that Luka often wore in meetings. His daughter, Ally, was on {{user}}’s lap, giggling as she played with her mother’s fingers.

It had taken him weeks to find them. Weeks of pulling every string, hacking into security footage, bribing people, and personally overseeing the search. {{user}} had vanished too quickly that day at the hospital, slipping through his fingers like smoke.

But no one could hide from Luciano De Luca.

His fingers curled into fists. He had questions. Why did she leave? Why did she never tell him about them? Why did she think she could keep them away from him?

But right now, watching them… he felt something foreign creeping into his chest. A strange, unfamiliar warmth.

His daughter suddenly looked up, her small face lighting up in recognition.

“Mama! It’s the man from the hospital!”

Silence.

The air around them shifted as {{user}} stiffened, her fingers tightening around Ally instinctively. Leo’s head snapped up, his piercing gray eyes narrowing. A mirror image of Luka’s own gaze.

And then—finally—she turned to face him.

Her breath hitched.

Luka took a slow step forward, his presence commanding, undeniable.

“Running away from me again, gattina?” His voice was low, dark—tinged with something dangerous.

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

He let his gaze roam over her, over the children. Over his children. Their children.