Chapter 5 - The Secret Shelter
For three days, I didn't go back to the office, nor did I return to the penthouse I shared with Evelyn. I stayed at a small hotel near Navy Pier, hiring a private investigator to find Natalie’s current living arrangements.
On Friday morning, the investigator delivered a thick envelope.
Natalie wasn't living in a luxury condo as I had initially assumed. She was renting a modest two-bedroom apartment in a quiet neighborhood near Lincoln Park. She worked as an online curriculum designer, supporting herself and her seven-month-old twins, Leo and Maya.
Most importantly, the report confirmed what my heart already knew: there was no father listed on the birth certificates. The paternal line was marked Declined by Mother.
At 2:00 PM, I stood outside her apartment building holding a small envelope containing the certified lab records from Dr. Vance and the original results from 2022.
I rang her apartment buzzer.
"Who is it?" her voice came through the small metal speaker.
"Natalie, it's Luca," I said clearly. "I'm not here to cause a scene. I have the certified lab documents proving what Victor did to us four years ago. You deserve to see them."
There was a long, agonizing silence. For a moment, I thought she would buzz off and ignore me.
Then, a sharp click sounded, and the lobby door unlocked.
I walked up to the third floor. Natalie was standing at her open door, wearing simple blue jeans and a grey sweater, her dark hair tied back in a loose clip.
"Ten minutes, Luca," she said softly, stepping aside to let me enter.
The apartment was modest, warm, and filled with the gentle scent of baby lotion and freshly brewed tea. Colorful toys were neatly stacked in the corner, and soft baby blankets lay folded over the sofa. It was a home filled with love—a stark contrast to the cold, sterile luxury of my penthouse.
In the center of the living room sat a wide playpen. Inside, the twins were lying on their backs, batting at hanging wooden stars.
I froze at the sight of them, my throat tightening.
"Sit down," Natalie said, pointing to a small wooden dining chair.
I sat down, my hands trembling as I laid the documents on the table. "Natalie... four years ago, Victor manipulated my medical tests. He had Dr. Vance issue a fake report claiming I was completely infertile. He did it because he thought you were holding me back from expanding the company."
Natalie didn't look shocked. She sat down across from me, looking at the papers with a quiet, sad expression.
"I knew," she whispered softly.
My head snapped up. "What? You... you knew?"
Natalie looked up at me, tears glistening in her dark eyes. "I didn't know about the falsified reports, Luca. But three weeks after you told me you didn't love me anymore and moved out, I went back to our old house to pick up my remaining clothes."
She took a shaky breath, crossing her arms tightly.
"Victor was there," she continued, her voice trembling. "He was clearing out my things. He sat me down and told me that if I ever tried to contact you, if I ever tried to contest the divorce, he would use his legal team to freeze my family's small business in Ohio. He told me you had agreed to all of it. He told me you wanted me gone so badly that you paid him to handle the cleanup."
I felt as though I had been punched in the chest. "No... no, Natalie! I never said that! I never knew he spoke to you!"
"How was I supposed to know that?!" she sobbed quietly, a four-year-old pain spilling over. "You walked away from me like I was nothing! You became cold! You looked at me with so much indifference! When Victor said those things, I believed him because you had already broken my heart!"
I covered my face with my hands, weeping silently as the full horror of what my brother had done washed over me. He hadn't just lied to me—he had threatened the woman I loved, ensuring she would run as far away as possible.
"When did you find out you were pregnant?" I asked through my tears, looking toward the playpen.
Natalie wiped her cheeks. "Two months after our divorce was finalized. I went to a clinic in Ohio because I was feeling exhausted. The doctor told me I was pregnant with twins. It was a high-risk pregnancy."
"Why didn't you call me?" I begged. "Natalie, I would have come back in a heartbeat!"
"How could I call you?!" she looked at me, her eyes fierce and protective. "You were engaged to Evelyn three months later! Victor was everywhere in the news! I was terrified that if Victor found out I was carrying your children, he would find a way to take them from me using your family's money and lawyers!"
She stood up, walking over to the playpen, leaning down to scoop up the little boy, Leo. She held him tightly against her chest, looking at me with fierce maternal protectiveness.
"I hid my pregnancy to protect my children from your family, Luca," she said firmly. "I raised them alone so they would never be used as pawns in your brother's corporate games."
I looked at my son sleeping peacefully against his mother's shoulder. I looked at the little girl kicking her feet in the playpen.
I stood up slowly, stepping back toward the door.
"You were right to protect them, Natalie," I said, my voice filled with profound sorrow and absolute conviction. "I was a coward. I let my brother dictate my life, and I destroyed the best thing that ever happened to me."
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I reached for the doorknob, turning back to face her one last time.
"I'm going to fix this," I swore quietly. "I'm going to take away Victor's power. I'm going to tear down Moretti Logistics. And I will spend the rest of my life making sure you and these children are safe, even if you never forgive me."
