Chapter 6 - THE HOUSE BY THE OCEAN
Three days later, I left Chicago.
Not secretly.
Not illegally.
Not with a fake identity.
I left with a documented safety plan, legal advice, and medical clearance.
Miriam had arranged temporary housing while the trust dispute and divorce proceedings moved forward.
The little blue house stood near a quiet stretch of the Massachusetts coast.
It had white shutters, a narrow porch, and a kitchen window overlooking the water.
When I stepped inside, I began crying.
Not because it was beautiful.
Because it was mine.
My friend Sophie Grant, a nurse I'd known since college, had helped arrange prenatal care near the house.
She met me at the door carrying groceries.
"Welcome home."
I hugged her.
She held me carefully.
"Easy, mama."
I laughed through tears.
"I'm enormous."
"You're pregnant."
"Same thing."
She smiled.
Then looked at my face.
"How are you really?"
I hesitated.
"Terrified."
She nodded.
"Good. Honest answer."
That evening, I sat on the porch wrapped in a blanket.
The ocean moved beneath a gray sky.
My baby kicked.
I placed my hand over my stomach.
"We made it."
For the first time in months, I believed it.
Dante called once.
I didn't answer.
He left a message.
"Elena, I won't come unless you ask. I just wanted to know you're okay."
I listened.
Then deleted it.
Not because I hated him.
Because I needed silence.
Miriam handled all communication.
The trust documents were being reviewed.
Salvatore's financial activities were under investigation.
Luca had agreed to cooperate with authorities.
And Dante was facing questions about what he'd known.
But those were their problems.
Mine was simpler.
I needed to bring my daughter into the world safely.
I needed to learn how to sleep without listening for footsteps.
I needed to remember who I was before becoming Mrs. Dante Moretti.
One night, I opened a box of old photographs.
There I was at twenty-two.
Laughing beside my grandfather.
Standing on the deck of one of his fishing boats.
Holding a paintbrush while renovating my first apartment.
I stared at that young woman.
She looked fearless.
May you like
Then I whispered:
"I'm coming back for you."
