The small town of Ridge Hollow was quiet. The kind of place where people smiled when they passed you on the street. Where shop owners knew your name and your kids' birthdays. It was the kind of town where Aria Castell had hoped to disappear.
And for five years, she had.
The bell above the bookstore door jingled as she walked in, her arms full of boxes. Behind her, two pairs of feet stomped in, giggling.
"Mom! Nico pushed me!" Nino shouted, his curls bouncing as he pointed at his twin.
Nico rolled his eyes. "I didn't push him! He tripped!"
Aria sighed and set the boxes down on the counter. "Both of you, sit. Now."
The boys obeyed, sliding onto the bench by the children's section. The bookstore smelled like old paper and cinnamon. It was a peaceful place, and Aria loved it. It made her forget for a little while.
She ran the store part time for Mrs. Winslow, an old woman who loved romance novels and tea. Aria worked three days a week, just enough to keep her busy and pay the bills. Just enough to keep her mind off him.
Luciano De Rossi.
She hadn't said his name in five years. She didn't even know if that was his real name. All she had was the memory of one night. One dangerous, beautiful, stupid night.
A night she could never forget, no matter how hard she tried.
Aria glanced at her sons. They were five now. Loud, stubborn, full of life and identical in every way. But they didn't just look like each other.
They looked like him.
Same thick dark hair. Same sharp cheekbones. Same eyes piercing, gray blue, like cold smoke. Eyes that had haunted her since that night in the club.
Back then, she was running from her past. Her mother had just died. She'd dropped out of college. She was angry, lost, and didn't care who saw it.
So when a dark stranger with a smooth voice and cruel smile asked if she wanted a drink, she said yes.
They didn't even make it to a hotel. Just the back of a black car. She didn't know his last name. Only that his name was Luca, and that his hands were rough and gentle all at once.
He never called. She didn't expect him to.
Two weeks later, she missed her period. Everything changed.
She moved, changed her name, and swore she would never go back. Not to that life. Not to that man.
But now, the twins are growing. And they were asking questions.
"Mom," Nico said suddenly, breaking her thoughts. "Why don't we have a dad?"
Aria froze. The question hit like a slap.
She turned slowly, heart pounding. "Why are you asking that?"
"Because Ryan at school said everyone has a dad," Nino added. "He said maybe ours didn't want us."
Aria felt like the air had been punched from her lungs. Her hands trembled as she leaned on the counter.
"That's not true," she said softly. "Your dad didn't know about you. That's all."
"But if he knew," Nico said, "would he come?"
Aria didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Instead, she knelt beside them and pulled them into a hug. They smelled like peanut butter and markers.
"I love you both so much," she whispered into their hair. "More than anything. You're my whole world."
They hugged her back. But the question hung in the air like smoke.
Would he come?
Would he care?
Would he take them away?
No. She wouldn't let that happen. Not ever.
Aria stood and smiled, hiding the panic in her chest. "Alright, who wants hot cocoa?"
The twins cheered, and the moment passed.
But it never really passed.
That night, after dinner and storytime, Aria tucked them into bed. The wind howled outside. Thunder rolled in the distance.
She checked the locks three times before going to her own room.
She stared at the ceiling for hours.
And she dreamed of him.
**Somewhere across the city**
Luciano De Rossi lit a cigar and looked out over Manhattan from his high-rise office. His suit was black. His expression was colder than the storm outside.
It had been five years since his father died. Five years since he took over the De Rossi family. And five years since he saw the girl with fire in her eyes and secrets on her lips.
He'd never forgotten her.
He'd searched, yes. Briefly. But she disappeared like smoke, and he had bigger problems.
Until now.
"There's movement in Ridge Hollow," Matteo said, his second-in-command. He laid a photo on the desk.
Luca picked it up.
Aria.
Older. Softer. Beautiful.
And standing next to her… two boys. Twins.
Luca's blood froze.
They had his face.
He didn't speak for a full minute.
Then he crushed the photo in his fist.
"Find her," he growled. "Now."
**Back in Ridge Hollow**
The next day was warm and bright. The twins played in the yard while Aria sat on the porch with coffee. She watched them, smiling softly.
She didn't notice the black car parked down the street.
She didn't see the man inside taking photos.
She didn't know the past was already on its way.
That afternoon, Aria walked downtown to pick up groceries. The twins held her hands, chattering about bugs and cartoons. Her basket was full of fruit and cereal.
She was walking past the café when it happened.
The wind shifted. A shadow crossed the pavement. A smell cologne and smoke filled the air.
And a voice.
Low. Dangerous. Familiar.
"Aria."
She stopped walking. Her blood turned to ice.
Slowly, she turned around.
He was standing there.
Luciano De Rossi.
Dressed in black. Hair slicked back. Eyes like cold fire.
Exactly as she remembered, only more dangerous now.
He looked at her. Then down at the boys.
They looked back at him.
And the world went still.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Then his lips curled into a smile that wasn't a smile at all.
"They're mine," he said quietly.
Aria couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe.
Luca stepped closer.
"You ran from me once," he said. "But you won't run again."
She took a step back. Her hands gripped the twins tighter.
"I won't let you take them," she whispered.
He tilted his head. "You don't have a choice."