Chapter 6 - The Divorce Papers
The divorce became public two weeks later.
The headlines were brutal.
MORETTI MARRIAGE COLLAPSES AMID AFFAIR AND CORPORATE BATTLE.
POWER COUPLE DIVIDES MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR EMPIRE.
SERENA MORETTI TAKES CONTROL OF FAMILY ASSETS.
Lucian hated every headline.
Serena ignored them.
She had bigger concerns.
Adrian had started smiling.
Not randomly.
At people.
At lights.
At Lucian when he made ridiculous faces.
That became the first thing they learned together.
Not business.
Not marriage.
Fatherhood.
Lucian came every morning.
He brought no gifts.
He asked no questions.
He simply sat on the floor.
“Look at this guy.”
Adrian would kick his legs.
Serena watched from the kitchen.
One afternoon, Lucian fell asleep on the couch with Adrian on his chest.
Serena stood in the doorway.
The sight hurt.
It looked like the family they were supposed to have had.
She hated that.
Elena walked up behind her.
“You love him.”
Serena sighed.
“Not the way I used to.”
“That may be better.”
Serena glanced at her.
“Why?”
“Because the old love made you excuse things.”
Elena smiled.
“This love makes you see clearly.”
Serena looked back at them.
Maybe.
Meanwhile, the legal separation moved forward.
Lucian gave Serena the majority of the companies.
He kept the transportation businesses that had existed independently before Serena's expansion work.
Their division was surprisingly fair.
Marcus joked:
“I've never seen a Moretti walk away from money voluntarily.”
Lucian replied:
“This isn't walking away.”
“What is it?”
“Paying a debt.”
Serena heard that.
She didn't comment.
The final divorce hearing was scheduled for October.
Lucian came to Serena's apartment the night before.
“I have something for you.”
She frowned.
He handed her an old photograph.
The Bronx apartment.
A folding table.
Takeout boxes.
Serena and Lucian were laughing.
She remembered that night.
He had told her he would build her a better life.
“You kept this?”
“I found it.”
“Why?”
“Because that's when I loved you without owning you.”
The words struck her.
“Lucian…”
“I've spent months thinking about what I actually did wrong.”
“And?”
“I thought the affair was the biggest betrayal.”
Serena waited.
“It wasn't.”
“No.”
“The biggest betrayal was believing your love gave me permanent access to you.”
She looked down.
“That is what you finally understand.”
He nodded.
“I don't want the divorce to erase everything.”
“It won't.”
“I want us to be good parents.”
“We can.”
“And maybe someday…”
He stopped.
Serena looked at him.
“Don't finish that sentence.”
He smiled sadly.
“Okay.”
The next day, they signed.
The marriage officially ended.
Seven years.
One signature.
Serena left the courthouse carrying Adrian.
She expected to feel free.
Instead, she cried.
Not because she wanted him back.
Because she was mourning who they had been before he became someone she could no longer recognize.
Lucian stood outside the courthouse alone.
Tomas approached.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Do you want me to get the car?”
“Yes.”
Lucian took one final look at Serena.
Then he said:
“Not yet.”
Tomas stared.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
But Serena heard him.
She paused.
Looked back.
Lucian smiled faintly.
Not asking.
Not demanding.
Just letting her go.
She walked away.
Three months passed.
The divorce remained finalized.
The company stabilized under Serena's leadership.
She turned one of the smaller buildings into a headquarters for a legitimate logistics expansion.
She hired women returning to work after maternity leave.
She created flexible schedules.
She called the division Adriana after her son.
Lucian built his own separate operation.
For once, his life became quieter.
He stopped dating.
He stopped traveling unnecessarily.
He stopped drinking.
He learned to cook.
Badly.
Serena received reports from Elena.
“He made Adrian pancakes.”
“And?”
“Burned them.”
“Of course.”
“He tried again.”
Serena smiled.
One Sunday morning, Lucian asked to take Adrian to Central Park.
Serena agreed.
It was the first time she let father and son go without her.
She waited all afternoon.
When they returned, Adrian was asleep.
Lucian carried him upstairs.
“He had a great day.”
“Did you?”
Lucian smiled.
“The best.”
He placed Adrian in his crib.
Then he turned toward Serena.
“I think I finally understand what you meant.”
“About what?”
“Giving him someone worth knowing.”
Serena's throat tightened.
“I hope so.”
“I want to be that man.”
“You are becoming him.”
The sentence made Lucian smile.
Not triumphantly.
Gratefully.
Then his phone rang.
He stepped into the hallway.
Serena could hear only his side.
“Hello?”
Silence.
“What?”
His face changed.
“Who?”
More silence.
“No.”
He hung up.
Serena stood.
“What happened?”
Lucian looked at her.
“It was Bianca's attorney.”
“She wants something?”
“She says she has evidence.”
“About what?”
Lucian swallowed.
“About your mother's death.”
Serena froze.
Her mother had been gone for eight years.
“What evidence?”
Lucian looked toward Adrian.
“I don't know.”
Then another phone rang.
This time Serena's.
Marcus.
His voice was urgent.
“Serena, don't speak to anyone.”
“Why?”
“We found a financial account in your mother's name.”
“What?”
“It was opened shortly before her death.”
“Where?”
“In Switzerland.”
Serena's heart stopped.
“What's in it?”
“Something that could change the entire history of the Moretti family.”
She sat down.
“What?”
May you like
Marcus whispered:
“Payments from Victor Romano.”
