The next morning, Grace stood in front of the clinic's tinted glass doors, her hand trembling as she pushed them open.
She hadn't seen Dr. Simon Hale in three years.
Not since her life with Luciano had begun.
But now she wasn't walking in as a student—or a woman searching for a career.
She was walking in as a woman caught between two devils—one she loved, and one who might've betrayed them both.
"Grace?" His voice snapped her back.
He looked the same—clean-cut, neatly dressed in a dark navy blazer. But something in his eyes had changed.
"You've grown colder," he said, smiling lightly. "I guess being with a mafia boss does that to a woman."
She flinched. "So you do know."
Simon leaned against the desk, arms folded. "I know everything, Grace. Why do you think I went off the grid? Luciano is dangerous."
"He protected me when you all left me to rot," she snapped.
"He used you," Simon countered. "You think he loves you, but everything he touches dies."
She glared. "Why is your name in his file?"
Simon's eyes flicked. "He showed it to you?"
"No," she said. "I found it."
Simon hesitated, then walked to a drawer and pulled out a flash drive.
"You want to know the truth about Luciano Moretti? Watch this. But do it alone. If he finds out you have it…"
He paused, looked straight at her.
"He won't kill you. He'll break you. Slowly."
She swallowed.
Took the flash drive.
And walked out.
---
That Night – The Penthouse
Grace waited until Luciano left again.
She plugged in the drive.
A folder blinked open: Project: Sanctuary.
She clicked.
And what she saw made her gasp.
It wasn't just Luciano.
It was her father.
A man she thought died in a car crash.
Standing next to Luciano's father.
Both men wearing suits with the same crest Luciano had tattooed behind his ear.
A bloodline. A secret organization.
And a plan that spanned two generations.
The last file was a recording—audio only.
Her father's voice.
"If Grace ever finds out what she truly is, she'll never forgive us."
---