Chapter 57: When the past wear my blood
Bianca’s hands trembled as she clutched the worn strap of her bag.
Her heart pounded in uneven beats, fear twisting like a knife inside her.
The bag wasn’t torn. Not a thread undone.
Yet the book, the black book that seemed to breathe with a life of its own was gone.
Her lips parted in disbelief.
"Did it fall out? Or... did it leave me?"
For a fleeting second, she imagined turning back, scouring every inch of the shadowed road she had walked.
But then her son’s face surfaced in her mind, soft and fragile, an image that had carried her through nights of despair. No, she couldn’t delay,,,, Not now,,, not when she needed him.
Her eyes closed... She resolve pushing against the weight of fear.
"I’ll get him first," she whispered to herself, gripping the map like a lifeline.
She stepped into the roadside gloom, waving down a taxi.
The vehicle rattled to a halt, and she climbed in, clutching her bag to her chest as if the missing weight inside it might somehow return.
The ride stretched endlessly until the driver announced they had arrived in Garam City.
A city pulsing with neon lights and shadows, both dazzling and dangerous.
Bianca’s eyes scanned every passing face, but doubt gnawed at her.
How would she recognize her son again? The man who had given her son his eyes.. blue, piercing, unforgettable. She only had words to follow, the directions of a stranger in Morano city, who swore he knew the Jackson family.
"Blue eyes," she muttered. "My son will have them... his father had them. That’s how I’ll find him. Even if it takes me days."
She inhaled deeply, ready to wait, ready to endure.
She had already lost too much.
She would not lose her son again.
*****
Bianca’s legs ached from the long walk, her breath shallow from the endless tension clawing at her chest.
She needed a pause, somewhere to gather her thoughts before her determination consumed her.
An eatery sat tucked on the corner of the busy street, its wooden benches stained with time, the aroma of fried food and freshly baked bread drifting out.
She sank onto one of the benches, ordering a plate of steaming rice and grilled meat.
For a moment, she pretended she was just another woman, nameless and ordinary, eating under the sun without the weight of destiny on her shoulders.
Her fork hovered in midair when laughter pulled her gaze toward the road.
Not far from the eatery, children darted across the school’s dusty playground, their voices like wild birds filling the air.
Bianca’s eyes softened unconsciously, watching them chase after a ball, their faces alive with joy she had not known in years.
She told herself to finish her meal, but her gaze lingered until she froze.
Among the crowd, he stood out like a beacon.
A boy no older than seven, his hair a shade too familiar, his features sharp though still tender with youth.
And then she saw them, those unmistakable blue eyes, piercing yet innocent, the exact mirror of his father’s gaze.
Bianca’s heart stopped. Her hand trembled, knocking her plate aside, the food forgotten.
She rose, her feet carrying her before her mind could even reason. Every step tightened the coil in her chest, until she was close enough to hear his small breaths between laughter.
The boy noticed her, his brows furrowing at her sudden presence. Bianca’s lips parted, her voice breaking into a whisper as if uttering a prayer.
"Hi, dear." Bianca said to him.
The boy tilted his head, polite but cautious. "Hello, ma’am... but I’m sorry, I don’t talk to strangers." His voice was steady, respectful, but guarded.
Bianca felt her chest squeeze.
A simple sentence, yet it struck her harder than a blade.
He didn’t know her, and he shouldn’t not yet. But her soul knew him.
Faith had led her here, no doubt.
She had found him, far sooner than she expected, and the discovery burned her veins with a restless urgency.
She forced herself not to cling, not to frighten him.
Instead, she stepped back and watched.
The boy ran back to his play, the corners of his mouth lifting into an unguarded smile.
Bianca’s pulse hammered as she memorized his every movement.
She would not let this chance slip.
She had to trail him, follow the winding path he would take home, meet the guardian who kept him sheltered from her world.
He was a reflection of his father.... Too much and not so easy to deny.
Then, Bianca swore she would do anything, everything, to be in his life again.
Later, when dusk bled into the streets and she sat alone once more, Bianca’s thoughts churned with dangerous clarity.
Her hand itched for what she could have the black book back.
If it were with her now, she could turn the tide. She could call Seraphina, trade it, use it as leverage to replace the Morano documents she had once promised.
The betrayal still lingered like a curse between them, but Bianca’s mind twisted with possibilities.
No one had to be hurt. She could mend what she had broken.
She could hand Seraphina something far more valuable than papers, even if it wasn’t exactly what had been bargained for.
The black book had power, secrets, weight.
With it, she could secure the documents she needed. With it, she could protect herself, her son, and maybe even atone for the mistakes that haunted her every step.
If she used it wisely, everything could be rewritten.
And as the night deepened, Bianca whispered a silent vow. The boy with blue eyes, her boy, would not slip away.
Fate had brought her here, and she would not let go, no matter the cost.....
*****
Across the city, in Morano estate another storm gathered.
Alessia’s fingers shook as she stared at the DNA paper in the boy’s hand.
Her breath caught in her throat, her world spiraling.
Before she could process it, Luca stepped out from the hallway, his presence strong, steady, but carrying a heaviness only she could see.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, protective, grounding.
The boy’s eyes lifted, wide and innocent, then lit up.
"Papa... " he said, voice trembling with excitement.
Alessia froze.
Luca stiffened. Silence dropped over the room like a shroud.
"Excuse me..." Luca’s voice was rough, almost breaking. "Who are you?"
"My mum... she said you are my papa," the boy answered simply, his words slicing through the air.
His gaze flicked at Alessia, then back to Luca.
"Where is she now?", luca asked him, his brows furrowed.
"She left me.... She said I should come find you when I turned fifteen. Next week... next week is my birthday."
The words landed like blows.
"Next week when?" Luca asked, though part of him already knew.
"The 10th."he answered sharply.
And his heart lurched.
The 10th.... It’s his anniversary with Alessia. Fate mocking him, threading his past with his present at the most fragile of times.
Why does my past always come for me when Alessia returns to me? he thought bitterly.
Always then... Always when I’ve begun to hope.
He clenched his jaw, but inside, his vow burned hotter than fire.
No matter what, I will never let Alessia leave me again.
He took the DNA paper from the boy with a steady hand, though his veins throbbed with fury.
Without a word, he strode toward the car waiting outside.
"Alessia," he said, his voice tight, "should we permit him to stay until I get the test done through my doctor?"
Alessia hesitated, then nodded gently.
Her eyes softened as she turned to the boy.
"Come in."
The boy’s lips trembled into a smile, relief flooding his features as he stepped inside.
Luca leaned close, pressing his mouth to Alessia’s.
His kiss was fierce, lingering, tasting of both desperation and devotion.
"I can’t wait to see you," he whispered against her lips. "Don’t worry, my woman, we’ll sail through this together."
Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she hugged him tightly.
"I believe you," she murmured.
*****
Inside the house, Daisy stared long at the boy. Her eyes narrowed, scanning every feature, every flicker of expression.
Finally, she whispered, almost in awe,
"He truly looks like Luca. I see the blood of the Moranos running in him."
Alessia swallowed hard, her chest heavy with conflict.
But before she could respond, her phone buzzed with a sharp chime.
She glanced down. Her breath caught.
Her scream split the silence.
"Oh, my Damn... "
Daisy rushed to her.
"What is it?"
With trembling hands, Alessia held up the phone. A photo glared back, Romeo. Daisy’s supposed lover, his legs drenched in blood, a gunshot tearing through his flesh.
Daisy’s heart shattered.
"He’s been shot," she cried.
Her voice broke, raw and desperate. "He wants to see me urgently.... "
Snatching up her bag, she bolted for the door, tears blinding her as Alessia called after her.
"Daisy, wait... "
But she was gone.
*****
Hours blurred until the evening bled into dusk.
Alessia waited, restless, when the sound of the front door jolted her.
She turned, Luca was home, earlier than expected.
Surprise widened her eyes.
"You’re back? What happened?"
Luca’s expression was carved from stone, but his eyes burned with rage and grief.
"My mother has been kidnapped," he said darkly.
Alessia staggered back, horror clamping down on her lungs.
"Whaaat??? "...
"By a Virenkai king. He sent his army, his men. They’ve taken her." His hands clenched into his arms as he folded them. "They demand my presence."
Her voice trembled, but her words were clear after a moment of silence.
"I’ll go with you." Alessia finally said and broke the silence.
Luca’s head snapped toward her.
"You’ll what?" His tone was sharp, almost furious. "No. You will stay back."
But Alessia stepped closer, her eyes blazing with fire, her body trembling with both fear and love.
"No, Luca. I won’t. I’ll always stay by your side. I’ll love you to the moon and back. Don’t you understand? I need to finish what I started." she said with lot of emotions in her face.
"What did you start?" His voice cracked, breaking against the storm inside him.
Alessia’s tears fell, but her words carried steel.
"I thought my father was selfish when he made you pay the debt he owed your father. But now... I see. He was wise. He saw the future. And I.... " her voice faltered, then strengthened.... "I have a role to play in this family, Luca. In this cold war. I will serve the Moranos until peace is restored. Because you... you are my love. And if anything happens to you, I have no life here... I have no reason to stay."
Her hands cupped his face, her touch soft but her gaze unyielding.
"Let me go with you."
Something inside Luca broke then broke and reformed stronger, fiercer.
He pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest.
His heart pounded against her ear as he whispered hoarsely,
"Then let’s go to Virenkai".... Luca said