The Moral Dilemma: Chapter 36

“READY?” I knock on the bathroom door, opening it to find Noelle in front of the mirror, leaning over the sink to apply some lipstick.

“Just a moment,” she mumbles, her lips puckered.

“Malia’s waiting for us.”

“Done,” she declares, skipping happily towards me and lifting herself to press a kiss onto my lips.

“Don’t tell me you put on lipstick just to kiss me,” I chuckle.

“Nope. But I did use your lips to blot the lipstick.” She winks at me.

She walks out of our room, heading down the stairs and calling out for Malia.

It’s been almost a week since we’ve moved to the new place. Although there’s still a lot of work to be done, we’ve managed to make it quite homey—all things considered.

Malia is absolutely in love with her new room, and she’d chosen a lot of toys and accessories to decorate it with. Of course, there’s also her new cat that she’s named Snow for her white fur.

Yet despite the madness of the move, we made sure to set aside a few hours daily to spend it as a family—be it playing a game, watching a movie, or going for a walk.

Our little girl might have gotten her looks from me, but her personality is definitely all Noelle. She has this endearing duality where she’s both independent codependent at the same time. She has her own—quite strong—opinions and she enjoys doing things her own way.

But she also loves spending time with us. And when I say , I mean she absolutely adores Noelle, always clutching her hand, or climbing her lap, or hugging her, or just being by her side. It’s to an extent that sometimes she gets jealous when Noelle spends too much time with me.

“You can’t have Mommy. She’s mine now,” she’d say whenever she’d catch us together, grabbing Noelle’s hand and taking her to show her every little random thing.

She’s so cute that I can’t even be mad about it. Especially since I know how happy Noelle is when Malia reaches for her. After all the pain she’s endured over the past few years, she deserves this more than anyone.

In the beginning it might have been daunting, since neither Noelle nor I have much experience with kids. But Malia is one of a kind with her boldness and openness to new things. Lucero had also helped us by making a list of all her likes and dislikes and guiding us whenever we had questions.

Although it’s still quite early, Noelle and I had tentatively agreed that we should homeschool her for the foreseeable future—not only because we might still be in danger, but also because we want to spend as much time with her as possible.

Just like before, I’ll resume my job from home, and to that effect, I turned one of the rooms into an office. Noelle, too, decided that she would work from home, focusing on musical compositions while taking care of Malia.

“Ready?”

“Yup,” Noelle answers.

The two of them are hand in hand as they follow me to the car.

After Cisco and Yuyu heard about Malia, they invited us for dinner at their house. Although Noelle had been a little grumpy about it at first, I managed to convince her to give them a chance—despite their faults, they do care about her. Of course, it hadn’t been easy to get her to agree. My wife can certainly hold a grudge.

We arrive at their place just in time, and as we’re welcomed inside, both Cisco and Yuyu stare in awe at Malia.

“She looks just like you,” Yuyu whispers, looking back at me.

I give her a smile and shrug.

“Well, she’s just like me,” Noelle huffs, her lips quirking up.

“Of course she is,” Cisco adds dryly.

“Hello, Malia. I’m your aunt Yuyu and this is my husband Cisco, your uncle.” Yuyu goes down on one knee to shake Malia’s hand.

Our daughter isn’t shy as she vigorously shakes Yuyu’s hand.

“Nice to meet you! You’re pretty,” she compliments her.

“Not as pretty as you.” Yuyu winks at her.

Malia blushes, but she doesn’t let that stop her as she takes a few steps until she’s in front of Cisco.

He raises a curious brow at her, and before anyone can react, Malia kicks him in the shin.

“Auch,” he mutters under his breath.

“Malia!” Noelle calls out, hurrying by her side.

At the same time, Yuyu is laughing by the side, while I’m not too far behind, barely able to contain my mirth.

“Mommy doesn’t like you.” She points at Cisco, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Yes, you were absolutely right, Noelle. She’s like you.” Cisco eventually smiles.

With a little probing to see how she found out about Noelle’s dislike of her brother, it seems our daughter may have an eavesdropping habit.

“He’s not all that bad,” Noelle hurries to tell Malia, though everyone can detect her lie.

Cisco proves to be a good sport, being amused by the entire situation rather than annoyed, and after everyone’s had a good laugh, we head to the dining room.

Their baby is upstairs sleeping, and Yuyu apologizes in advance if she has to come and go in case he wakes up. She has a baby monitor with her, keeping it close at all times.

Dinner is a rather peaceful affair. Surprisingly, both Noelle and Malia behave themselves. Other than shooting Cisco daggers with their eyes, they refrain from any more violence. God, like mother, like daughter. And as they give him a narrowed stare, one sitting next to the other, it’s like I’m suddenly seeing double.

After dessert, the girls go upstairs with Yuyu to meet her baby, while Cisco and I retire to his study for some .

“Congratulations on being a father,” Cisco says as he takes out two glasses and fills them with whiskey.

“Thank you.” I nod, accepting the drink.

“Quite the unexpected turn of events, isn’t it?” He smiles, but it’s strained.

“Sometimes the most unexpected things are not unexpected at all,” I add, pinning him with my stare.

He meets my gaze head on, his lips slowly curling.

“What we’re going to talk about now will not leave this room,” I start. “I don’t want Noelle to worry about yet another thing—not when we’ve finally gotten some semblance of peace. Besides, she’s vengeful. She won’t leave this alone.”

“And what…

are we talking about?” Cisco raises a brow.

“I think you know exactly what I mean.”

“Hmm… Do I?”

“I know who sent those mercenaries for us.”

He doesn’t seem surprised, merely maintaining the same pleasant smile on his lips.

“And?”

“I also know who set up my brother and Ortega in the first place.”

His smile deepens.

“You brought me back to New York on purpose.”

Cisco shrugs.

“Why?”

“Isn’t it clear?” He tilts his head to the side.

I frown.

“Noelle,” I whisper.

“Bingo,” he says, taking a swig of alcohol. “I knew you were the only thing that could give her a purpose.”

“So that’s why you kept throwing us together.” I blink in realization. Suddenly, everything that happened in the past makes sense.

“Indeed,” he drawls. “She might not have remembered you, but she still loved you—even then.”

I stare at him, mouth agape, before I burst out laughing.

“Well played.” I clap. “You really had us.”

“I didn’t you, Raf. I merely looked out for my sister and ensured she would have her heart’s desire. It was the least I could do after the debacle with Sergio.”

“And the mercenaries?”

He waves his hand dismissively.

“Danger has a way of bringing two people together. I had no doubt you would take them out first.”

“What—”

“And before you come at me with your righteous preaching, they were criminals. You didn’t kill any innocent men,” Cisco continues. “Yuyu and I gathered a slew of the worst criminals, gave them a mission and a paycheck and that was it.”

“I should have known your wife was in it as well.” I shake my head in disgust.

“Oh, she came up with the idea. Not the paying people to go after you part—she’s not cold-blooded. But using the criminals was her improvement to my plan.”

“And you’re so casual about this…”

“Well, since it’s out in the open, I may as well admit to it. And since you said Noelle doesn’t have to know, even better. I’d actually rather have a chance at reconciliation with my sister. Despite our differences, I do love her.”

“Right,” I mutter dryly. “You sure have a way of showing it.”

He shrugs.

“I made sure she was happy—even if she hated me for it.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, Cisco.”

“You don’t have to.” He smiles. “Sometimes I don’t understand myself either,” he pauses, frowning. “Except Yuyu. Somehow, she understands me even when I don’t understand myself,” he adds pensively, tapping a finger to his chin.

“I guess I’ll have to get used to your eccentric ways since we’re technically family.” I roll my eyes. “But no more murder squads, okay?”

“I can’t promise anything.” He angles his shoulders in a lazy shrug. “Don’t fight with your wife again and I won’t interfere.”

I stare at him, flabbergasted.

“Damn, Cisco. You might actually care about your sister,” I say, unsure whether this is a good thing or a bad one.

“It’s time to go to bed,” I tell Malia gently as I swoop her into my arms. She barely has the strength to nod, too tired from running around all day.

“I want Snow with me,” she murmurs.

I give a panicked glance to Noelle, who nods and immediately goes to look for the cat.

“Mommy is bringing her to you.”

“Good. Thank you, Daddy.” She smiles, and I tighten my arms around her little form.

“You’re welcome, my little wonder.”

She’s half asleep by the time I get to her room and lay her in bed. Although we haven’t had the time to decorate the entire house yet, we prioritized her room so she’d feel comfortable and at home. Somehow, I wasn’t even surprised when she chose a mix of black and red for her furniture and her toys—it seems to be her favorite combination.

Of course, when Noelle had seen her choices, she’d proudly declared, “That’s my daughter.” I can’t really fault her for it, since it’s clear that while she inherited my coloring, her personality is all Noelle.

But maybe of that Noelle is even more careful with her, trying to make sure Malia understands that it’s okay to be different. I think at times she sees herself in her and how her childhood had more or less been stripped away from her due to the unreasonable expectations placed on her.

“She’s never going to worry about that,” Noelle had asserted. “She’s going to be free to be who she wants to be, and when she’s old enough, she’s going to be allowed to pursue both her passion and her heart.”

“As long as she’s safe,” I’d added with a raised brow.

She’d agreed… to a degree. But we’d worry about that later. As if I’d let my little girl do anything dangerous. I almost snort out loud at the thought. Right…

going to happen. It’s not as if I’d object to much. She can pursue her passion, of course, but when it comes to her heart… I’ll have to vet that individual first.

Alas, luckily there’s still time until that will be a concern. But when it does…

I shake myself from my musings as I tuck her into bed. Yet as I make to leave, she doesn’t let go of my hand, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“I love you, Daddy,” she says in a small voice.

I squeeze her hand lightly, tears stabbing at my eyes.

“I love you, too, Malia.”

Noelle tip-toes around the room, the fluffy cat in her arms.

“Snow!” Malia exclaims when she sees her so little companion.

“Now you can go to bed, baby.” Noelle gives her a kiss on the forehead as Malia cuddles the cat.

Coming to my side, Noelle takes my hand in hers as we just stand there, staring at her.

Usually, one of us would have read her a story before bed, but today she’s too tired for that. The moment she has Snow tucked into her arms, her eyes flutter closed, her breath evening.

“She’s so beautiful,” Noelle whispers. “I still can’t believe this is real.”

“We’re so lucky, pretty girl. We might have been through hell. But looking at her now… It was all worth it.”

She nods.

“It was.

Once we’re sure Malia is deep asleep, we head back to our own bedroom. Since she’d declared that she wanted to sleep in her room with Snow, we’d agreed and put a baby monitor in her room similar to the one Yuyu had. This way, if something happens, we’ll be able to react quickly.

“You’re frowning.” I point out to Noelle after we both get out of the shower.

“I’m a little worried about tomorrow. What if it’s too soon?”

“I don’t think it’s too soon,” I say as I take a seat next to her on the bed. “She’s very open to new people. I don’t think she’ll have a problem.”

“Yes, but it’s only been a few. Tomorrow it’s going to be quite a bit more than a few.”

“But it’s only family. The others are bringing their kids, too. She might make some friends.”

Once we settled into our new house and into a new routine with Malia, we decided to throw her a welcome back party and invite our friends and family, so that they could officially meet her. Noelle had told Malia this was to celebrate all the birthdays that we missed before, and she’d been extremely happy by the prospect.

But time passed so quickly and the party is now less than a day away.

“I guess you’re right,” she sighs. “It’s just that I somehow wish I could keep her all to myself, if that makes sense.”

“It does.” I smile. “Of course it does, pretty girl. You don’t have to excuse yourself to me—ever.”

“You’re so sweet, Raf.” She gently pats my hand. “But you’re right. She might make some new friends.”

“It’s party. I have a feeling she’ll love being the center of attention,” I chuckle.

“Oh, she definitely will,” Noelle laughs.

After I’ve finished placating my wife, I take her into my arms and shower her with kisses which she enthusiastically reciprocates.

The following day, the event planner makes sure everything is in place before the guests arrive at noon. The first ones are Cisco and Yuyu with their baby and older son, Val. It’s my first time meeting him since he’s usually away at boarding school, but I’m pleasantly surprised considering he’s Cisco’s son.

He’s around thirteen, with a warm and considerate disposition—more like Yuyu in that regard than his father.

The moment Malia sees them, however, she dashes to Yuyu’s side, asking to play with the baby. Noelle and I share a smile. Ever since we visited them a while back, Malia has become enamored with the baby. I’m not sure if she realizes it’s a human being and not a doll, but Yuyu doesn’t mind indulging her.

“He smiled,” she bursts out, pointing to the toothless smile of the baby. “He smiled at me.” She turns and beams at us.

When they turn to go into the living room, I tell Noelle to accompany them.

“I’ll greet the others. Go talk to your brother.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say as I give her a quick kiss.

Not five minutes later, Lucero arrives without her husband.

“He doesn’t do well with crowds.” She gives me a tight smile. “But he sends his regards.”

Although I find that a little odd, I let it slide as I direct her to where Noelle and the others are.

More people continue to come—Enzo, his wife and their children as well as Catalina and her children.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to join us,” I tell her, kissing both her cheeks.

“I think the kids needed a change of scenery,” she mentions with half a smile. “And we’re all looking forward to meeting Malia.”

Marcello is still in jail, and things don’t look too good. Unless the evidence they have against him mysteriously disappears, he’s looking at a sentence.

“Gianna!” I open my arms to hug her as she comes inside. “I’m so happy you decided to come.”

“How could I not come when I heard the news? I’m so happy for you, Raf. You have no idea how much.”

“You’ll be surprised when you see her,” I whisper. “She definitely inherited the looks from our side of the family,” I joke.

“Now you’re making me even more curious.” She smiles.

Behind her is her husband, Bass. They decided not to bring their children, since they don’t want to expose them to the famiglia, which I totally understand and respect.

“Word of warning. Cisco is here, too. Please don’t resort to violence,” I plead with Bass.

He purses his lips.

“He brought me back with my sunshine. I guess he can get a pass,” he mumbles.

Gianna shakes her head with a smile.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep him in check.” She winks.

As they go inside, I realize I should have warned Gianna that Enzo and his wife are here, too. Alas, it’s been years. I doubt anyone’s still holding grudges.

Carlos, Thomas and Anita arrive on their trail. I can’t help but notice that Panchito isn’t present, but I guess it would have been awkward after what happened.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for anything.” Carlos shakes my hand.

But as they go inside, I vaguely remember that he used to have some issues with Bianca and Adrian. Alas, it’s good they’re not coming since they’re out of town.

I breathe in relief at that. Maybe we should have thought our guest list a little more thoroughly. The last thing we need is for a fight to break out when this is supposed to be my daughter’s birthday.

A quick glance at my watch and I note that it’s past the time I told everyone to come by. And there are only a few people that haven’t arrived yet.

“Of course you’d be late,” I mumble under my breath when I spot Vlad. By his side is Sisi, with Venezia trailing a few feet behind.

“We had some… issues,” he mentions with a glint in his eye, though the corners of his mouth are tipped up in a hidden smile.

Sisi blushes and I roll my eyes, already suspecting what might have held them up.

I shake my head at them, simply telling them to follow me inside.

“It’s nice to see you again, Zia,” I mention as we head to the living room.

“Thank you,” she murmurs softly, her head bent down. She’s dressed in a brown cotton dress that reaches her ankles. Truthfully, it looks more like a potato sack than a dress, but I’ve gathered from Noelle that she only dresses like this.

I feel a pang in my chest as I think of what she might have suffered at the hands of my brother—things that she’s likely never told anyone.

God, I have no doubt he did a number on her. And considering she’s pregnant… How the hell could no one else she’s pregnant?

I sneak a look at Vlad and Sisi, but they’re simply oblivious to Venezia. They’re in their own world like always. Vlad’s arm is around Sisi’s waist, pulling her closer to him and whispering some stuff in her ear that has her squirming. Well, I guess that’s how they haven’t realized what’s happening to her. They’re too lost in each other to see anyone else.

We manage to briefly introduce Malia to our guests, but she’s too busy playing with the other children to pay us any mind.

“She’s having so much fun,” Noelle gushes as she comes to my side. “You were right to do this.”

“It’s nice to have everyone here.” I smile.

Everyone is mingling around and having a good time. Although Malia is getting along with the other children, she’s still hovering around Yuyu and the baby, looking at him curiously.

“You know it’s coming, don’t you?” I sigh.

Noelle nods, almost as if she could read my mind. She’s so enthralled with the baby, it won’t be long before she’ll ask for a brother or a sister. She’s already been hinting about it.

“We’ll figure it out,” she says as she rests her head against my shoulder. “There are options.”

“Good. I don’t want you to beat yourself up over it.”

“I think after I found out that Malia was alive, I finally made peace with everything that happened at the hacienda. I can’t lie and say there isn’t a wound that will likely never heal. But for the first time, I feel hopeful.”

“I’m glad, pretty girl. I love you,” I murmur as I kiss the top of her head.

“Love you, too. Now we should get back to our guests.”

“Why don’t you go talk to Venezia,” I suddenly suggest. “She’s not looking too great.”

“You noticed, too?”

I nod.

“I’m going to have a little chat with Vlad and Sisi.”

“Are you going to tell them?” Noelle asks, pursing her lips.

“I think it’s time they knew,” I sigh. “She doesn’t look well, pretty girl.”

Noelle pauses for a second as she looks at Venezia.

“You’re right. She looks… hopeless.”

We part ways as I head to Vlad and Sisi while Noelle goes to Zia.

“Your daughter is precious, Raf,” Sisi gushes, and though I bet she would have hugged me, it’s clear she wouldn’t risk it with Vlad’s firm grasp on her waist.

“Thank you.” I incline my head.

“She’s quite adorable,” Vlad surprises me with his words.

I blink, taken aback.

“Did you just say ? Who are you and what have you done with Vlad?”

He shrugs, a smile playing at his lips.

“It’s the hormones,” Sisi whispers conspiratorially.

I frown.

“Hormones?” I ask, at the same time as Vlad bursts out into an indignant, “Hey!”

“We haven’t told a lot of people yet, but…” she pauses, gazing back at Vlad. His eyes immediately soften towards her. “We’re pregnant,” she says in a low voice. “And he’s been mirroring my pregnancy symptoms, which means that he’s cranky when I’m cranky, and he’s a watering pot when I am one,” she laughs.

“Oh, wow. Congratulations!” I immediately say, taking a step forward to give her a hug, which I soon realize is a mistake and I stop abruptly when I hear something akin to an animalistic growl.

“Down, boy,” Sisi rolls her eyes at Vlad. “If you thought he was intense before, you should see him now. We’re basically glued at the hip,” she tells me.

“Still, this is fantastic news. I’m so happy for you! How far along are you?”

“Four months. We didn’t want to announce it until we were sure everything was perfectly fine,” she explains. Her past miscarriage scared her so much that she was reluctant to try to have a baby for a few years. I’m thrilled she’s finally ready to take that step.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about something,” I take a deep breath, wondering how I’m going to approach this topic.

Given everything that happened with Michele and how dangerous he is, I think they should know about his relationship “What is it?”

“Venezia,” I reply grimly.

Sisi frowns.

“She seems odd to you too, no?” She releases a harsh breath. “I don’t know what else to do. She’s isolated herself in her room and she barely comes out. It was so hard to get her to even come with us today, and she only did so because she likes Noelle. But other than that…”

“I might have an answer to why she’s behaving like that. But you’re not going to like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no easy way to say this but… The boy she was seeing. It was Michele.”

“What?” Vlad’s voice echoes in the room. Sisi’s mouth hangs wide open in shock.

“What did you say?” Her voice trembles as she brings her gaze to me. “You… You’re saying that Michele… He…” She swallows hard. “You’re telling me that Venezia slept with Michele?”

“Yes.”

“No. That can’t be. You must be mistaken.”

“I’m not. My brother has been poisoned by his revenge. In his mind, there’s no more right or wrong.”

“But this?

” Sisi croaks, her knees buckling.

Vlad immediately takes her into his arms.

“We’re going to have to cut this visit short, I’m afraid,” he states sternly.

I nod.

“But are you sure, Raf?” Sisi asks again.

“Yes. He confirmed it himself to Noelle.”

“My God…”

“Shh, hell girl. Don’t stress. Breathe for me, okay?” Vlad murmurs in her ear as he tightens his arms around her. They go in search for Venezia and I do the same for my wife.

Yet as I head to where I’d last seen them, I’m stopped by Lucero.

“Raf,” she calls out. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” I attempt a smile as my eyes wander around the room searching for Noelle.

“It’s about Malia.”

Now, gets my full attention.

“What about her?”

“Your brother knew about her.”

“What?”

“He came to visit me and he told me to take her back to you or he would.”

“Wait a moment,” I frown. “You’re telling me my brother wanted to return Malia to us? Are you sure he didn’t want to hurt her?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “At first I was afraid he might want to, since I’d seen the lengths he went to in order to hurt you. But no. He truly wanted you to have her back.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” She shrugs.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“He’s a complicated man, your brother, isn’t he?” she mentions with a slight smile. “But I don’t think he hates you as much as you think he does.”

And with that, she’s gone, leaving me more confused than ever.

“Raf?” Noelle places her hand on my arm. “Did you talk to them? What did they say?”

“They were shocked,” I answer as I recover from what Lucero had told me.

“Understandable. I talked to Venezia, too. But she insisted she was fine even though she clearly .”

“We should leave it up to them now. We did our duty and warned them.”

“I still feel uneasy about this.”

“Me too. But what can we do?”

Not a few moments later, Vlad is back in the house, looking around like a mad man. Sisi is not far behind as she runs after him.

“Zia. Where is Zia?”

“Isn’t she with you?” Noelle frowns. “She said she was going to the car the last time I talked to her.”

“She’s not in the car. And she’s not outside either. Zia?” he calls out, searching the ground floor for her.

We all start looking for her too, but soon it’s clear that there’s no sign of her anywhere in the house.

“Did she run away?” Sisi’s voice breaks, her eyes teary. “She can’t have run away, can she?”

“We’ll check the security footage,” I say, telling them to follow me to the security room.

“Daddy!” Malia runs after me.

Instinctively, I swoop her in my arms.

“Daddy’s a little busy right now. Why don’t you go back to your mother and I’ll come to you in a little while?” I murmur, laying a kiss on her forehead.

“Look what I got,” she exclaims happily, thrusting a little figurine in my face.

“That’s very pretty,” I smile, thinking one of the guests must have gifted it to her.

But as I lay her on the ground, I notice something strange about that figurine. The suit he’s wearing is oddly familiar.

“Malia… Where did you get the figurine?”

“Uncle Michele gave it to me. Isn’t it awesome?”

I raise my gaze to meet Vlad’s grave one.

“And where did you see Uncle Michele?”

“He was in the kitchen,” she explains. “He’s so nice. He promised me he’ll bring me more.”

I try not to alarm her as I send her to Noelle. When she’s out of sight, we go to the security room and rewind the footage from half an hour ago.

“There,” Vlad points to about twenty minutes ago.

“Good Lord,” Sisi whispers as she slumps against Vlad’s chest. “He took her. He took Zia.”

I purse my lips as I watch the video footage.

After her conversation with Noelle, Venezia goes to the kitchen. She spends a couple of minutes there, eating a few cookies before she goes out into the courtyard. She walks aimlessly around until she bumps into Michele.

As she raises her head, there is alarm in her features and she takes a step back. Michele reaches for her, saying something to her at which she shakes her head and tries to escape his grasp.

He wraps his hand around her neck, squeezing lightly as he pulls her towards him. For a moment, he just stares at her, unmoving. Then, he’s kissing her.

She fights him, pushing against his chest, but he doesn’t stop until she becomes limp in his arms.

Leaning back, he brings his hand to her cheek, caressing her gently. She stares at him, fear reflected in her gaze. He says something, and she keeps shaking her head.

It doesn’t seem he has the patience to convince her of whatever he’s saying, so he simply swoops her into his arms and walks away.

She tries to fight him off, but it’s clear she’s no match for him.

The video continues as Michele carries her to his car, depositing her in the front seat. Just as I think he’s going to go around and drive off, he surprises me further by taking a piece of paper and writing something on it.

Walking a few feet away, he comes closer and closer to the CCTV until he’s right in front of it. A smirk pulls at his lips as he holds up the piece of paper for us to see.

He knows what he’s doing, and he wants us to know it too.

Throwing away the piece of paper, he goes back to the car, getting behind the wheel and driving off.

“Yes, the plate number is…”

Vlad is already calling his contacts to put a BOLO on the car. Sisi is beside herself with worry. And I…

I could say I’m shocked. But I’m not.

“What happened? Did you find her?” Noelle asks as she sees me exit the room. Malia is in her arms, her head on her shoulder as she keeps playing with the little figurine.

I shake my head.

“He took her. And I don’t think he’ll give her back.”

Noelle shakes her head.

“He won’t,” she agrees with a sigh.

The party is over as the guests leave. Everyone offers to lend a helping hand, and the search for them begins in earnest.

Officially, Michele is the most wanted man in the city.

After we put Malia to bed, Noelle takes me aside.

“You didn’t go with them to help. Why?”

“Because… I don’t think Michele hates me as much as I thought he did.”

She frowns at me, but I merely smile.

“He won’t hurt her.”

“But he hurt anyone who comes after them,” she completes my thoughts.

“That he will. And I’m not going to risk our family for anything, pretty girl,” I say as I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You and Malia are the two most important people in my life.”

She catches my hand, holding it molded to her cheek.

“I think you’ve finally reached my level, dear husband.” She flutters her lashes at me.

“Is that so? And what level is that?” I raise a brow at her.

She gives me a sly smile.

“As long as I have you, the world can burn for all I care.”

I stare at her for a moment, taking in her words. Funny how in the past I would have jumped at the chance to help, even going as far as sacrificing my well-being for someone else.

But as I gaze at the love of my life—three times over—I know that’s not me anymore.

Slowly, my lips curl up.

“As long as I have you and our daughter, the world can go to hell,” I lean in to kiss her.

It’s just us against the world.