Chapter2
1428 Words
Chapter Two
The Search Begins
Vito Romano had always believed there were only three things capable of bringing a man to his knees.
Fear.
Love.
And betrayal.
As he stood inside Luna’s empty apartment, he wondered which one was destroying him now.
The silence felt unnatural.
Every corner of the apartment still carried traces of her presence.
A half-finished cup of coffee sat on the kitchen counter.
A novel rested on the couch with a bookmark tucked between its pages.
Her favorite blanket remained draped over the armrest exactly where she’d left it.
It looked as though she had stepped out for a moment.
And yet every instinct inside Vito screamed that something terrible had happened.
Marco watched from across the room.
The men accompanying him remained silent.
Nobody dared speak first.
Because Vito looked dangerous.
Not the usual dangerous.
Not the cold, controlled predator Valoria feared.
This was worse.
This was personal.
Finally, Marco broke the silence.
“What do you want us to do?”
Vito’s jaw tightened.
“Everything.”
Marco nodded.
“I already have men checking hospitals, airports, train stations, and the harbor.”
“Not enough.”
“Vito—”
“Not enough.”
The words came out sharper than intended.
The room grew tense.
Vito closed his eyes briefly.
When he spoke again, his voice was calm.
Too calm.
“I want every security camera in the city checked.”
“Done.”
“Every Romano soldier searching.”
“Done.”
“Every informant questioned.”
Marco nodded.
“Already started.”
Vito stared at the floor.
Something wasn’t right.
Luna wouldn’t leave without telling him.
She simply wouldn’t.
No matter what happened.
No matter how scared she was.
Unless…
His thoughts stopped abruptly.
His gaze snapped toward the bedroom.
Without warning, he walked inside.
The room appeared untouched.
But something caught his attention immediately.
The drawer beside Luna’s bed was slightly open.
He pulled it wider.
Empty.
His heartbeat slowed.
Luna always kept a small leather journal there.
A journal she refused to let anyone read.
Including him.
Now it was gone.
Vito’s stomach twisted.
Why would she take it?
Unless she intended to leave.
No.
He rejected the thought immediately.
Luna loved him.
He knew she did.
But the journal’s disappearance planted a seed of doubt.
A small, poisonous seed.
One that refused to disappear.
Across the city, hidden inside an abandoned estate on the outskirts of Valoria, Luna stared through a cracked window.
Rain drummed softly against the glass.
The sky was gray.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Perfectly matching her mood.
She hadn’t slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Vito.
His face.
His smile.
The way he’d looked at her last night.
As though she was the only person in the world who mattered.
Pain stabbed through her chest.
A door opened behind her.
Sofia entered carrying a tray of food.
“You need to eat.”
Luna didn’t move.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“I’m fine.”
Sofia sighed.
“No, you’re not.”
Luna turned away.
She knew Sofia was right.
Nothing about this was fine.
Everything had gone wrong.
Three days ago she had discovered documents hidden inside her late mother’s belongings.
Documents that should never have existed.
Documents exposing a conspiracy buried deep within the Romano organization.
At first she thought it was a mistake.
Then she kept reading.
And reading.
And reading.
Until the horrifying truth emerged.
Someone close to Vito was working with Don Salvatore.
Someone trusted.
Someone powerful.
Someone preparing to destroy him from within.
The realization had shattered her.
Worse still…
Don Salvatore knew she had discovered the truth.
And Don Salvatore was her father.
The father she had spent years pretending didn’t exist.
The father who would kill thousands to protect his secrets.
The father who would use Vito’s love for her as a weapon.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
She wiped it away quickly.
Sofia noticed.
“You miss him.”
Luna laughed bitterly.
“Of course I miss him.”
“Then tell him.”
“I can’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
Her voice cracked.
“If I go back now, he’ll die.”
The room fell silent.
Because both women knew she wasn’t exaggerating.
She was telling the truth.
Back at Romano Headquarters, chaos reigned.
Phones rang nonstop.
Men rushed through hallways.
Reports arrived every few minutes.
Yet none contained the answer Vito needed.
Hours passed.
Then more.
Nothing.
By evening, Vito’s patience had vanished.
A terrified informant sat across from him in a warehouse office.
The man trembled violently.
“I swear I don’t know anything.”
Vito leaned forward.
“Then why did my men find your name connected to Alessandro Ricci?”
The informant swallowed.
“I sell information.”
“What kind?”
“Small things.”
Vito’s expression remained emotionless.
The informant continued sweating.
“Please.”
“Did Alessandro take Luna?”
“No.”
“Did Salvatore?”
“I don’t know.”
Vito slammed his fist onto the desk.
The sound echoed through the room.
The informant nearly fell out of his chair.
“You don’t know?”
The man’s breathing became frantic.
“I swear!”
Vito stared at him for several seconds.
Then stood.
“Get him out of my sight.”
His soldiers immediately dragged the man away.
Marco entered moments later.
“You need sleep.”
“No.”
“You’ve been awake for almost thirty hours.”
“I said no.”
Marco sighed.
This wasn’t going to end well.
Vito had always been obsessive.
Now he was becoming reckless.
A dangerous combination.
“We found something.”
Vito looked up immediately.
“What?”
Marco placed a folder on the desk.
“Security footage.”
Vito opened it.
Several photographs stared back at him.
His blood ran cold.
The images showed Luna.
The night she disappeared.
Walking alone.
Leaving her apartment.
Getting into a black sedan.
Not struggling.
Not afraid.
Willingly.
For a long moment, Vito simply stared.
Unable to process what he was seeing.
Marco remained quiet.
Finally Vito spoke.
Barely above a whisper.
“Play the video.”
Minutes later they stood inside the surveillance room.
The footage flickered onto the screen.
There she was.
Luna.
Alive.
Walking calmly toward the vehicle.
No signs of force.
No kidnappers.
No panic.
No resistance.
Nothing.
Just Luna getting into a car and driving away.
Silence filled the room.
Vito’s heart pounded violently.
Every terrible possibility collided inside his mind.
Had she lied to him?
Had she abandoned him?
Had their entire relationship been a lie?
No.
No.
Something was missing.
There had to be.
Because the Luna he knew wouldn’t disappear without explanation.
Wouldn’t leave him wondering if she was dead.
Wouldn’t break him like this.
Would she?
Marco finally spoke.
“Maybe she was threatened.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe someone forced her.”
“Maybe.”
But Vito didn’t sound convinced.
Because the footage showed something else.
Just before entering the car, Luna had looked over her shoulder.
Directly at the camera.
For only a second.
Yet her expression haunted him.
She hadn’t looked afraid.
She had looked heartbroken.
As if she knew exactly what she was doing.
And hated every second of it.
That same night, Don Salvatore sat alone in his mansion.
A servant poured him wine.
He waved the man away.
His attention remained fixed on the photograph lying on his desk.
It showed Luna.
His daughter.
The daughter who had become a problem.
A very dangerous problem.
Another man entered the room.
One of Salvatore’s trusted associates.
“The Romano search continues.”
“Good.”
“They’ve become desperate.”
Salvatore smiled.
“Excellent.”
“And if they find her?”
His smile widened.
“They won’t.”
The associate hesitated.
“What about the traitor?”
For the first time, Salvatore laughed.
A dark, amused sound.
“The beauty of betrayal is that everyone suspects the wrong person.”
The associate frowned.
“You think Romano suspects Marco?”
“I know he does.”
Salvatore lifted his wine glass.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Luna sat alone in darkness.
And somewhere inside Romano Headquarters, the true traitor continued smiling.
Hidden in plain sight.
Waiting.
Watching.
Preparing for the next move.
Unaware that Luna had already discovered far more than anyone realized.
And when the truth finally surfaced…
Valoria would drown in blood.
- Writer
