Chapter 3
The gray light of early morning filtered through the thin hospital blinds, casting long, geometric shadows across the linoleum floor. Clara had not slept. Every creak of the building, every distant chime of the nurse's station, sent a jolt of adrenaline through her veins. She had dressed in loose-fitting clothes brought by one of Luka’s female associates, a silent woman named Elena who had helped her change with efficient, clinical precision while avoiding any unnecessary conversation. The newborn was swaddled tightly, resting securely in a modern carrier strapped securely across Clara's chest, keeping the infant warm and close.
At precisely six o'clock, Luka Moretti re-entered the room. He was wearing the same olive green suit, looking as though he had spent the night in a high-end boardroom rather than pacing the corridors of a public hospital. He checked his watch, a vintage timepiece with a worn leather strap, and gave a brief nod to Elena, who stood guard near the door. Luka approached the bed, his movements fluid and quiet, and surveyed Clara with a critical eye, ensuring she was strong enough to make the transition without drawing the attention of the medical staff.
May you like
They exited through a service elevator at the back of the hospital, bypassing the main lobby where reporters or curious onlookers might linger. A matte-black SUV waited in the loading bay, its engine idling with a low, powerful purr. The morning air was biting and sharp, stinging Clara's face as she stepped out of the automatic doors. Luka guided her gently by the elbow, not out of affection, but with the practiced efficiency of a bodyguard shielding a high-value asset. Elena opened the rear door of the vehicle, and Clara slid into the leather-lined interior, pulling the baby closer to her body as the heavy door thudded shut.
As the SUV pulled away from the curb and merged into the early morning traffic, Clara looked back through the tinted window at the sprawling brick building where her child had been born. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had walked through those doors as an ordinary citizen with ordinary fears. Now, she was moving into an armored estate governed by rules she did not understand, protected by a father she had abandoned and an enforcer who viewed human life as a series of calculated risks. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of wool and baby powder, and braced herself for whatever awaited them at the end of the road.
