Chapter 5

It had been three weeks since the masquerade ball, but the memory of that one night of fire between her and the stranger was the peak. She had snuck out of the hotel in the early hours of the morning, while he slept like a happy baby. There had been a strong temptation to peek under his mask, but she had resisted... it was better they never met again, not with the kind of dominion he had over her body.

But here she was now, three weeks later with a pregnancy test kit in her hands, her pulse pounding feverishly. She watched as the lines began to form... and the plus sign yet again... positive.

It had to be a mistake, she kept telling herself. Maybe the first three kits were defective, maybe this one as well... but deep in her heart she knew the truth. The symptoms were not a lie... the constant nausea, the exhaustion she had started experiencing lately which wasn't natural... She was pregnant.

She looked at herself in the mirror, clutching her stomach as the realization began to dawn on her. The masked stranger at the ball, one night of sinful pleasure, and now she was carrying a child... his child. She had no idea who he was, she had insisted on sharing no names or identity, just a consummation of their lustful desires... a quick fire and release.

She had to think of something... and fast.

...

Luca stood at his office window, looking down on the tiny movements of cars and people far on the ground. His interests were elsewhere however, on the passionate night he had shared in Rome with the masked woman. She had gone before he woke up, and so far all efforts to find her had been fruitless. Nobody knew who she was, or where she came from... He was almost made to believe he imagined it, but such pleasures could never be a mere work of imagination.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," he said in a bored voice, tired of hearing disappointing news.

The door opened and a young lady came in... She was in charge of his spy networks, and helped him in locating anyone he wanted to find. She had been searching for his runaway wife Isabella for the last two years without success, and now he also had her searching for the mystery woman in Rome.

"What is it Carla? I hope you have some good news for me today."

"Actually I do sir," she said with a cocky grin. "It's double good news."

A smile lit up Luca's face and he quickly waved her to the chair opposite his own as he sat down.

"We've managed to find your wife sir. It appears she is alive and well."

Luca froze in his chair, unable to believe the news he had just received. Despite the death certificate that had turned up in Sicily about Isabella being dead, he'd refused to believe it and insisted they keep on searching... and now it turns out he has been right all along.

"Wh...what? Where is she? Is she okay?" he asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

"That brings us to the second good news sir," Carla said calmly. "It appears your ex-wife has been in Rome this whole time, hiding under the cover of a private and secretive art dealer called Elena Romano."

Luca's eyes widened in surprise. He had never heard that name before, even if he wasn't passionate about art, he knew quite a few dealers through his friends, and the name had never been mentioned.

"Why haven't I heard the name before?" He asked.

"Because she turned up mysteriously two years ago, sir, around the time your wife left. No one knows anything about her or where she came from, and she keeps a very low profile."

"Okay okay," Luca said, eager to know more. "How does this information concern the second good news you're talking about?"

Carla smiled.

"The masked lady at the masquerade ball was Elena Romano sir... or should I say, your ex-wife Isabella."

Luca stared at her in complete disbelief. "How sure are you about this Carla?"

"We were able to convince one of her staff to speak, and we managed to get a detailed description of her attire at the ball."

Luca stood up and began to pace inside the office, multiple thoughts and scenarios running through his mind. It was almost crazy... the woman he had the best sex of his life with was none other than his supposedly dead ex-wife, who forced a divorce out of him and disappeared.

He turned to Carla. "Get me the media team immediately."

...

Elena was sorting through her things one afternoon when a name from the reporter suddenly captured her attention... Luca Moretti. She quickly grabbed the remote to increase the volume, but the headline on the screen suddenly froze her in her tracks... 'Luca Moretti is revealed to be a masked guest at a recent Masquerade ball in Rome.'

Underneath the headline were two pictures, one of Luca in a mask, and the other without it. But the mask was the problem, because staring right at her from the screen was the mystery mask stranger she had fucked to passionately three weeks ago.

Panic swelled inside her. She had been hiding successfully for two years, and the one night she took to indulge herself she had ended up with her past. And worst of all, she was carrying his child. Her hand subconsciously rubbed her stomach as thought about it.

But this couldn't be happening... what were the chances that he hadn't already figured out who she was, what if it had been a trap. Elena's mind raced with many thoughts, but there was only one thing left to do... she had to run, run very far away and like she did two years ago. As she thought about it, her phone started to ring on the table.

She ignored it for a while, focused instead on the traumatic news staring at her from the television. But when the ringing refused to subside, she picked the phone and looked at it... an unknown number. She stood, staring at the phone in her hand, suddenly afraid of who might be on the other end. She picked the call...

"Hello?"

"Hello signora Romano," Giovanni's voice floated through the phone.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Hello signore Giovanni, can I call you back? I'm in a meeting right now."

She hung up before he could even utter another word, but when she turned back to the TV, the news was gone...then the phone rang again.

"What could he possibly want?" she muttered in irritation and answered the call again.

"Signore Giovanni..."

"Hello Isabella," came a deep, rich voice.

She froze, her heart stopping as recollection flooded her head.

"Luca...?"

Her heart skipped multiple beats as she tried to imagine how on earth he'd found her. She was supposed to be dead, and he was supposed to have given up.

"What's the matter, baby?" he asked in an amused tone. "Not expecting to hear from me I guess.

Isabella stared at the screen in disbelief, unable to process that voice... that soft but powerful voice that was enough to make her shiver. This shouldn't be happening, Luca had no business finding her after all these years... after all the effort she had put in to become a ghost and restart her life. Like someone awakening from a horrible dream and regaining her senses, she hurriedly ended the call and threw the phone away like an abomination.

Luca knew where she was... he'd somehow managed to find her. Everything in the room suddenly became a suspect as she began to search desperately for wire devices or hidden spyware. She ran to the window, looking outside for any signs of being watched... satisfied that all was clear, she began to act.

She instantly ran into her bedroom, shaking as she dragged out the emergency duffel bag she always had under the bed. It was already half full with emergency essentials, a habit bred into her by her father. He'd always believed that a person must always be prepared for emergencies at any given time, because quick escape could be the only means of survival in certain situations.

She quickly added her passports, bundles of cash, a small secure phone, and a folder that held all the fake documents she's been using as Elena Romano.

She was trying as much as possible to stay calm through it all, but it wasn't exactly working. Not when Luca could already be on his way here, not when she had no idea what he was going to do to her if he got his hands on her.

Having packed her bags, she grabbed her main phone and dialled the one person she always called when she needed to move, the only one who asked no unnecessary questions... Marco.

As expected, Marco picked up immediately, and from the tone of his voice, it was clear he already guessed why she was calling.

"Isabella... is everything ok?"

"Marco, please... I need a flight tonight. Anywhere far... Somewhere no one would think of looking for me."

"Woah... That's quite rash, what's going on with you?"

"My current location has been compromised, Marco," she told him quickly, frantically looking out to make sure Luca's men weren't taking her unawares.

"Where to?" Marco replied after thinking for a while.

"Africa... I don't care what country or city, just find me whatever is leaving immediately."

"Okay. Okay... Hold on, I'm on it."

She took a piece of paper and a pen, and began to write out her details while Marco typed on the other side.

"I have a private charter leaving Fiumicino in less than an hour," Marco finally announced. "My guy owes me a favor, so you'll be having a seat... Terminal C, I'll text you the remaining details."

"You're a lifesaver Marco, I love you so much," she exclaimed, with tears of joy running down her face.

"Isabella..." he paused, his voice filled with complete concern. "Is it him... did he finally find you?"

The silence from her was enough to convince him that he was right... her past had caught up with her again.

"Please be safe," Marco said in a serious tone. "And make sure you don't call me again unless it's from another number... Burn this one."

Isabella nodded and hung up, copied the details of the flight Marco had sent, and then smashed the phone to pieces after taking out her sim.

A few minutes later, she grabbed her bag and hung it over her shoulder, went to the front door and cautiously peeped through the peephole for any sign of intruders. She had already texted her private cab driver minutes ago, and knew he would be arriving any moment, but she had to make sure she wasn't spotted or followed.

She slowly opened the door and slipped out, locking it behind her and hurrying down the stairs without looking back. Keeping her head low as she sprinted to the waiting cab three blocks away.

"Fiumicino Airport, Jorge," she told the driver in Italian.

He smiled politely, and started the car, wondering why the usually composed and elegant Elena Romano looked so flustered.

Even as they left her Mansion and the city behind them, her mind still wasn't settled... not until she was up in the sky... until she was beyond Luca's reach once again. She opened her purse and brought out the note on which she wrote Marco's instructions. Terminal, pilot's name, departure time, and entry code. Everything seemed to be in order... Marco had come through for her yet again, but would it be enough to escape Luca for good?

She watched the beauty of Rome fading away, vanishing into the horizon like a silent witness who had seen all but chose not to speak. This city had given her peace and solace for two years... A new identity, and a new purpose. But then peace was just a mere illusion, because the past was relentless... it didn't stop chasing her.

She ran her hand over her stomach... there was no bump yet, but she knew there was life within her. She wasn't just running for herself anymore, she was also running for her child... Luca's child.

When they arrived at the airport, she thanked Jorge for the ride, paid in cash and hurried off without another word. A man in black suit was waiting for her at a private corridor described by Marco, and as she came closer, he stretched out his hand for a handshake. She eyed him carefully, making sure he fit the description Marco had provided because Luca could easily plant his men anywhere he wanted. Convinced that he was clean, she shook his hand and gave him a small smile.

"Miss Romano?"

"Yes." She replied hastily, glancing around as she was still worried about Luca possibly tailing her.

"Your flight is ready, senora... This way please."