Chapter 4 - I DIVORCED THE MAFIA BOSS WHO ABANDONED ME DURING CHILDBIRTH—BUT WHEN HE WALKED INTO COURT WITHOUT HIS BODYGUARDS, EVERYONE REALIZED THE MAN HE USED TO BE WAS GONE
The day I filed for divorce, Adrian didn't call to stop me.
He sent one message.
I received the papers. I won't fight you. I'm sorry.
I stared at the screen.
For three years, I had lived with a man who believed every problem could be solved through force, money, or influence.
Now he was letting me go.
And I didn't know whether that made me relieved or heartbroken.
***
The divorce process was difficult.
Not because Adrian contested it.
He didn't.
But because ending a marriage means dismantling a life.
There were accounts.
Properties.
Insurance policies.
Family photographs.
And thousands of memories attached to things that suddenly needed to be divided.
***
Eleanor handled the legal details.
Adrian's attorney cooperated.
We agreed on a parenting plan that prioritized Grace's stability.
Because of Adrian's ongoing legal matters and security concerns, his early visits took place under agreed arrangements.
He attended every scheduled visit.
Every single one.
***
At first, Grace was too young to understand who he was.
He would sit beside her crib and talk quietly.
Tell her about Chicago.
About the lake.
About the first snowfall.
About how her mother had once convinced him to adopt a stray cat that hated everyone except her.
***
One afternoon, I returned home early and found him sitting on the living room floor.
Grace lay on a blanket in front of him.
He was reading a children's book.
Badly.
He had no idea how to make the animal voices.
But he was trying.
***
I stood in the doorway.
For a moment, I remembered the man who had missed her birth.
Then I looked at the father sitting on the floor.
And realized people could change.
But change didn't erase consequences.
***
The criminal investigation continued.
Vivian Cross entered a plea agreement after prosecutors presented extensive financial records.
Luca Moretti faced more serious charges connected to the fraud scheme and obstruction.
Adrian provided evidence about the operations he had controlled and accepted responsibility for his own misconduct.
***
He lost businesses.
Influence.
Money.
And the reputation he had spent years building.
***
For a man who once controlled half the room simply by entering it, losing power should have destroyed him.
Instead, something unexpected happened.
He began becoming human.
***
He started therapy.
Not because I asked him to.
Not because his attorney recommended it.
But because he finally admitted he didn't know how to live without controlling everything around him.
***
He told me this during one of Grace's visits.
We were standing in the kitchen.
Grace was asleep in her stroller.
Adrian looked exhausted.
"Therapy is harder than I expected."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
He smiled faintly.
"Apparently I'm not very good at talking about feelings."
I almost laughed.
"Shocking."
He smiled.
Then grew serious.
"I told my therapist about the hospital."
My chest tightened.
He continued.
"About how I saw your calls and silenced them."
I looked down.
He swallowed.
"I kept saying I didn't realize how serious it was."
He paused.
"Then she asked why I needed it to be serious before I answered."
***
I looked at him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he whispered:
"I didn't have an answer."
***
The divorce was finalized the following spring.
I wore a gray suit.
Adrian wore a dark coat.
We stood outside the courthouse afterward.
The city moved around us.
Cars passed.
People hurried to work.
And somewhere nearby, a street musician played a familiar song.
***
Adrian looked at me.
"Claire."
I turned.
He swallowed.
"I hope you're happy."
My eyes filled.
I nodded.
"Thank you."
He hesitated.
Then said:
"I mean that."
I looked at him.
"I know."
***
For a moment, we stood quietly.
Then he asked:
"Can I still call you about Grace?"
I smiled faintly.
"Of course."
He nodded.
"And if you need anything—"
I shook my head gently.
"Adrian."
He stopped.
I swallowed.
"I need to learn how to live without you."
His eyes filled.
Then he nodded.
"I understand."
***
We said goodbye.
And for the first time in five years, I walked away from Adrian Moretti without looking back.
***
The months that followed were not easy.
There were nights I cried.
Mornings I missed him.
Days I wondered whether I had made the right decision.
But there were also moments of peace.
***
Bennett Interiors grew.
I hired two new designers.
Won a major hotel renovation contract.
And began working on a community housing project.
***
Grace learned to smile.
Then laugh.
Then crawl.
And eventually, take her first steps.
***
Adrian was there for many of those moments.
Not as my husband.
As her father.
***
He learned to change diapers.
Prepare bottles.
Attend pediatric appointments.
And listen when I explained Grace's routines.
***
One evening, he arrived for a visit carrying a small stuffed rabbit.
Grace squealed when she saw him.
"Dada!"
Adrian froze.
I looked up.
Grace reached toward him.
"Dada!"
His eyes filled.
He knelt.
"That's me, sweetheart."
***
He cried when he held her.
And I turned away because I was crying too.
***
One year after the divorce, Adrian asked whether I would have coffee with him.
Not about Grace.
Not about business.
Just coffee.
***
I hesitated.
Then agreed.
We met at the same café where we had gone on our first date.
Adrian arrived early.
He stood when I approached.
"Claire."
I smiled.
"Hi."
***
For a moment, we looked at each other.
Then sat.
***
He told me about his life.
The businesses he had closed.
The legal obligations he was fulfilling.
The counseling.
The volunteer work he had begun through a nonprofit supporting families affected by organized crime.
***
I listened.
Then told him about Bennett Interiors.
My new projects.
Grace's latest obsession with picture books.
And the vacation Mara and I were planning.
***
For the first time in years, we talked like two people.
Not a Mafia boss and his wife.
Not a powerful man and the woman waiting at home.
Just Adrian and Claire.
***
After coffee, we walked outside.
The afternoon sun warmed the sidewalk.
Adrian stopped beside my car.
"Claire."
I turned.
He swallowed.
"I know I don't deserve another chance."
I looked at him.
He continued.
"But I need you to know something."
My heart tightened.
"What?"
His eyes filled.
"I still love you."
***
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I whispered:
"I know."
He looked down.
I continued.
"But love wasn't enough before."
He nodded.
"I know."
***
I studied him.
Then said:
"If we ever try again, it won't be because I forgot what happened."
He looked up.
"It will be because you became someone I can trust."
His eyes filled.
He nodded.
"That's all I want."
***
I smiled sadly.
"Then keep becoming that person."
***
He stepped back.
"Okay."
***
I got into my car.
Started the engine.
And drove away.
But this time, something was different.
For the first time since Grace's birth, I wasn't driving away from pain.
I was driving toward a future I had chosen for myself.
And I didn't know yet whether Adrian would be part of it.
May you like
But I finally knew that I would be okay either way.
END OF CHAPTER 4
