Love in the Crossfire
Chapter 3: Fractured Echoes
The mirror reflected a version of Isabella Rosetti she barely recognized.
Her once-pristine skin was now marred with bruises and cuts, remnants of last night’s brutal encounter. The wound on her arm had stopped bleeding, but every movement sent a sharp sting through her body. She ran a hand over her ribs, wincing as she pressed against the deep bruises.
She had been close—too close—to death.
And Luca had done nothing to stop it.
Her jaw clenched as she turned away from the mirror, forcing herself to breathe through the ache in her chest.
"It doesn’t matter."
She was alive. That was what mattered.
Luca Moretti was her enemy now. The boy she once knew—the one who had made her laugh, who had sat across from her at cafés and teased her about her terrible taste in movies—was gone. The man standing in his place was ruthless, unmoved by the sight of her bleeding on the floor.
If she let herself feel anything beyond hatred, she wouldn’t survive the next time they met.
She had to move on.
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And she knew exactly how.
---
The sharp scent of espresso filled the air as Isabella tied her apron around her waist, stepping behind the counter of Carmine’s Café. The bell above the door jingled, announcing the arrival of a pair of students, their laughter lighthearted as they debated an upcoming exam.
A businessman muttered into his phone while waiting for his order. A mother soothed a fussy toddler in the corner booth.
It was a world apart from the one she belonged to.
A world where people weren’t constantly watching their backs.
A world where bullets didn’t decide the future.
For a time, she had almost believed she could be a part of it.
"Maybe in another life, I could’ve just been Isabella—the girl who makes coffee and smiles at strangers."
But that dream had been foolish.
No matter how far she ran, her past always found her.
A memory surfaced, unbidden. The scent of freshly brewed coffee pulled her back to another time, another version of herself.
---
Years ago
A tiny café hidden from the rest of the world.
Luca sat across from her, his leather jacket draped over the back of his chair, pretending to focus on the open textbook in front of him.
They were supposed to be studying for their university exams, but Isabella had caught him watching her instead, smirking as she sipped her latte.
"Are you seriously making me drink this?" he teased, holding up the caramel latte she had forced him to order.
Isabella grinned, nudging the cup closer. "Just try it, tough guy."
With a dramatic sigh, Luca took a sip, his brows furrowing as he fought to maintain his dignity.
After a long pause, he muttered, "Okay. It’s not terrible."
She had burst into laughter, watching him struggle between annoyance and reluctant enjoyment.
For a moment, they had been normal.
Two university students, teasing, studying, stealing moments of peace in a world that never truly belonged to them.
They had been safe in those moments, allowing themselves to dream of a future that, deep down, they knew was impossible.
But reality had been waiting for them just beyond those café doors.
And soon, it had ripped them apart.
---
Present
Across the city, Luca Moretti sat in his penthouse, staring at the skyline with an untouched glass of whiskey beside him.
His men spoke in hushed voices, reports stacking up on his desk, but he wasn’t listening.
All he could think about was her.
Isabella.
She had been right there.
Bleeding. Fighting for her life.
And he had done nothing.
He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair.
"She means nothing to me now."
Then why did it feel like something inside him had cracked open?
Why did it feel like she had never truly left him at all?
The past and present were colliding in a way he had never expected.
And this time, there would be no escaping it.