Raven's POV – The Aftermath
The cold sting of metal against her skin was the first thing Raven felt when she regained consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, but the room was a blur of white, and the air smelled sterile, like antiseptic and sweat. It took a moment for her mind to catch up with her surroundings.
She was in a hospital. But why?
Her heartbeat quickened as the memories flooded back—the warehouse, the gunfire, the chaos. The sickening crack of bones, the stench of blood filling her nose. And then... blackness.
"Raven," a voice whispered, hoarse and strained. She turned her head to find him—Aurelio—sitting by her bedside, his face pale and drawn. His gaze was fixed on her, concern written all over his features.
He looked like he had been through hell. His dark eyes were rimmed with exhaustion, his jaw tight, but the moment they met, Raven could see the vulnerability there. The same vulnerability he'd shown her once before, all those years ago.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, her voice cracking with disbelief.
Aurelio didn't immediately answer. Instead, he leaned forward, his hand gently brushing her hair from her face. His fingers lingered at her temple, the touch gentle but filled with an emotion that unsettled her. "You scared me, Raven. You've been out for hours. We were worried you wouldn't make it."
She blinked, trying to gather her thoughts, but the weight of what had just happened pressed in on her like a tidal wave. She hadn't seen the full extent of the carnage, but she knew—she felt—there had been more to the attack than just the physical violence. Enzo was playing a bigger game, and they were all just pawns.
Her eyes searched for something, anything that would ground her. "Where's Luna?"
"She's safe," Aurelio said, his voice hardening at the mention of their daughter. "I have men watching over her."
A strange sense of relief settled over Raven, but it was fleeting. "And Isabella? The others?"
"They're fine." His jaw clenched, but his gaze never left her, as though waiting for something more. For her to crack, for her to give him the answers he'd been craving for six long years.
Raven closed her eyes, shutting out the noise in her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
Aurelio's expression shifted. "You're still protecting him, aren't you?"
The accusation hit harder than any physical blow could. Enzo. The man who had put everything into motion, the man who had made them all into his puppets. The man who had taken their lives and twisted them beyond recognition.
"I'm not protecting him," Raven snapped, her body trembling with the frustration she couldn't keep inside anymore. "I'm trying to protect us. You... you don't understand what he's capable of. He has men everywhere. This is bigger than both of us. It always has been."
Aurelio's face tightened at her words, his gaze turning cold. "You think I don't know that?" he shot back, his voice rising. "I've been trying to piece this together for years. You disappeared without a trace, and I—" He stopped himself, his breath ragged as he pushed the words back down.
Raven closed her eyes, her chest tight as the air thickened between them. "I didn't have a choice, Aurelio. You have to understand that."
The silence that followed felt like a chasm between them. The things left unsaid lingered, suffocating, like the weight of the past they both carried.
Suddenly, the door opened with a soft creak. A nurse stepped inside, and immediately, Raven tried to sit up. She couldn't stay in bed. She had too much to do, too much to fix. But the nurse was quick to stop her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You need to rest," the nurse said firmly. "You've lost a lot of blood, and your injuries—"
"I'm fine," Raven interrupted, pushing the sheets away from her body despite her protests. "I need to get out of here."
But the nurse was insistent. "No, you're not. You need to stay here until we can make sure you're stable." She turned to Aurelio, her expression softening as she spoke in a lower voice. "She's been through a traumatic event. You should stay with her for now. She's going to need all the support she can get."
Raven's heart pounded in her chest at the implications of the nurse's words. She didn't need this. She didn't need to be forced into a corner, forced to face the man who haunted her every thought.
But when the nurse left, there was no escaping it. Aurelio remained by her side, his eyes never straying from her face, his presence an unspoken demand for answers.
And then came the moment when she could no longer keep the truth from him. Not after everything that had happened, not after the devastation they had just faced together.
"Raven," Aurelio's voice was low but firm, and she felt it in her bones. "There's something you need to tell me."
She swallowed thickly, her throat dry, but there was no avoiding the conversation any longer. She had to tell him. He deserved the truth. She owed him that much.
Taking a shaky breath, Raven looked away, but she could still feel his eyes burning into her, his presence a constant reminder of what had once been.
"I've been running from the past," Raven finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it's here now. It's in the form of our daughter, Aurelio. Luna... she's yours."
Aurelio's eyes widened, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep control of his emotions. He had known about Luna, of course. Raven had made sure to keep their daughter's existence a secret for years, but now, as he sat across from her, the weight of the words felt heavier than ever before. There was no denying the truth anymore.
"You should have told me," Aurelio's voice was hoarse, filled with a mixture of anger, regret, and something else—something he didn't want to admit. "You took six years of my life away from me, Raven. You took her away from me."
"I know," she whispered, her heart aching. "I thought I was protecting her... and you."
He shook his head, his hand gripping the edge of the chair as if holding onto some semblance of control. "And now? Now that we're all here, at the mercy of Enzo and the mess we've made? Is that what you were protecting her from? From me?"
Raven looked down at her hands, her voice breaking. "I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this to happen. But it did. And I don't know how to make it right."
Aurelio's eyes softened, his gaze lingering on her as if searching for something. For the woman he had once known, or the woman she had become. It was hard to tell. But one thing was certain—things would never be the same again.
---
Twist – The Dark Secret
Before Aurelio could respond, the door creaked open again, and Isabella stepped inside, looking more serious than ever. She glanced between the two of them, her gaze hardening as she took in the situation.
Aurelio's eyes flickered with impatience, but he said nothing as Isabella moved closer, her steps measured. Raven had never seen her sister look this controlled—this calculated.
"I know we're all trying to process a lot of things right now," Isabella began, her voice low, "but there's something I need to tell you both."
Raven stiffened, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She could feel it in her gut—the knowledge that whatever was coming next would be just as heavy, if not heavier, than the secrets they had already uncovered.
Isabella lowered her voice, making sure only the three of them could hear her. "This isn't just about you, Aurelio. It's about Luna, too."
Aurelio's confusion deepened. "What do you mean?"
Isabella's gaze flicked to Raven, her eyes flickering with a mix of uncertainty and guilt. "Luna's bloodline isn't just hers. She shares a deeper connection to the family—one that Enzo would kill for. Literally."
Raven's stomach churned as Isabella spoke, and Aurelio looked at his sister, completely unaware of the bombshell she had just dropped. The stakes were rising higher than ever before.
Enzo wasn't just after them—he was after their daughter. And the bloodline Luna carried might be the key to everything.
Raven's POV – The Aftermath
The cold sting of metal against her skin was the first thing Raven felt when she regained consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, but the room was a blur of white, and the air smelled sterile, like antiseptic and sweat. It took a moment for her mind to catch up with her surroundings.
She was in a hospital. But why?
Her heartbeat quickened as the memories flooded back—the warehouse, the gunfire, the chaos. The sickening crack of bones, the stench of blood filling her nose. And then... blackness.
"Raven," a voice whispered, hoarse and strained. She turned her head to find him—Aurelio—sitting by her bedside, his face pale and drawn. His gaze was fixed on her, concern written all over his features.
He looked like he had been through hell. His dark eyes were rimmed with exhaustion, his jaw tight, but the moment they met, Raven could see the vulnerability there. The same vulnerability he'd shown her once before, all those years ago.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, her voice cracking with disbelief.
Aurelio didn't immediately answer. Instead, he leaned forward, his hand gently brushing her hair from her face. His fingers lingered at her temple, the touch gentle but filled with an emotion that unsettled her. "You scared me, Raven. You've been out for hours. We were worried you wouldn't make it."
She blinked, trying to gather her thoughts, but the weight of what had just happened pressed in on her like a tidal wave. She hadn't seen the full extent of the carnage, but she knew—she felt—there had been more to the attack than just the physical violence. Enzo was playing a bigger game, and they were all just pawns.
Her eyes searched for something, anything that would ground her. "Where's Luna?"
"She's safe," Aurelio said, his voice hardening at the mention of their daughter. "I have men watching over her."
A strange sense of relief settled over Raven, but it was fleeting. "And Isabella? The others?"
"They're fine." His jaw clenched, but his gaze never left her, as though waiting for something more. For her to crack, for her to give him the answers he'd been craving for six long years.
Raven closed her eyes, shutting out the noise in her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
Aurelio's expression shifted. "You're still protecting him, aren't you?"
The accusation hit harder than any physical blow could. Enzo. The man who had put everything into motion, the man who had made them all into his puppets. The man who had taken their lives and twisted them beyond recognition.
"I'm not protecting him," Raven snapped, her body trembling with the frustration she couldn't keep inside anymore. "I'm trying to protect us. You... you don't understand what he's capable of. He has men everywhere. This is bigger than both of us. It always has been."
Aurelio's face tightened at her words, his gaze turning cold. "You think I don't know that?" he shot back, his voice rising. "I've been trying to piece this together for years. You disappeared without a trace, and I—" He stopped himself, his breath ragged as he pushed the words back down.
Raven closed her eyes, her chest tight as the air thickened between them. "I didn't have a choice, Aurelio. You have to understand that."
The silence that followed felt like a chasm between them. The things left unsaid lingered, suffocating, like the weight of the past they both carried.
Suddenly, the door opened with a soft creak. A nurse stepped inside, and immediately, Raven tried to sit up. She couldn't stay in bed. She had too much to do, too much to fix. But the nurse was quick to stop her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You need to rest," the nurse said firmly. "You've lost a lot of blood, and your injuries—"
"I'm fine," Raven interrupted, pushing the sheets away from her body despite her protests. "I need to get out of here."
But the nurse was insistent. "No, you're not. You need to stay here until we can make sure you're stable." She turned to Aurelio, her expression softening as she spoke in a lower voice. "She's been through a traumatic event. You should stay with her for now. She's going to need all the support she can get."
Raven's heart pounded in her chest at the implications of the nurse's words. She didn't need this. She didn't need to be forced into a corner, forced to face the man who haunted her every thought.
But when the nurse left, there was no escaping it. Aurelio remained by her side, his eyes never straying from her face, his presence an unspoken demand for answers.
And then came the moment when she could no longer keep the truth from him. Not after everything that had happened, not after the devastation they had just faced together.
"Raven," Aurelio's voice was low but firm, and she felt it in her bones. "There's something you need to tell me."
She swallowed thickly, her throat dry, but there was no avoiding the conversation any longer. She had to tell him. He deserved the truth. She owed him that much.
Taking a shaky breath, Raven looked away, but she could still feel his eyes burning into her, his presence a constant reminder of what had once been.
"I've been running from the past," Raven finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it's here now. It's in the form of our daughter, Aurelio. Luna... she's yours."
Aurelio's eyes widened, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep control of his emotions. He had known about Luna, of course. Raven had made sure to keep their daughter's existence a secret for years, but now, as he sat across from her, the weight of the words felt heavier than ever before. There was no denying the truth anymore.
"You should have told me," Aurelio's voice was hoarse, filled with a mixture of anger, regret, and something else—something he didn't want to admit. "You took six years of my life away from me, Raven. You took her away from me."
"I know," she whispered, her heart aching. "I thought I was protecting her... and you."
He shook his head, his hand gripping the edge of the chair as if holding onto some semblance of control. "And now? Now that we're all here, at the mercy of Enzo and the mess we've made? Is that what you were protecting her from? From me?"
Raven looked down at her hands, her voice breaking. "I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this to happen. But it did. And I don't know how to make it right."
Aurelio's eyes softened, his gaze lingering on her as if searching for something. For the woman he had once known, or the woman she had become. It was hard to tell. But one thing was certain—things would never be the same again.
---
Twist – The Dark Secret
Before Aurelio could respond, the door creaked open again, and Isabella stepped inside, looking more serious than ever. She glanced between the two of them, her gaze hardening as she took in the situation.
Aurelio's eyes flickered with impatience, but he said nothing as Isabella moved closer, her steps measured. Raven had never seen her sister look this controlled—this calculated.
"I know we're all trying to process a lot of things right now," Isabella began, her voice low, "but there's something I need to tell you both."
Raven stiffened, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She could feel it in her gut—the knowledge that whatever was coming next would be just as heavy, if not heavier, than the secrets they had already uncovered.
Isabella lowered her voice, making sure only the three of them could hear her. "This isn't just about you, Aurelio. It's about Luna, too."
Aurelio's confusion deepened. "What do you mean?"
Isabella's gaze flicked to Raven, her eyes flickering with a mix of uncertainty and guilt. "Luna's bloodline isn't just hers. She shares a deeper connection to the family—one that Enzo would kill for. Literally."
Raven's stomach churned as Isabella spoke, and Aurelio looked at his sister, completely unaware of the bombshell she had just dropped. The stakes were rising higher than ever before.
Enzo wasn't just after them—he was after their daughter. And the bloodline Luna carried might be the key to everything.