The first crack appeared three days later.
It came quietly, disguised as routine.
Lucia was in the operating theater when her phone vibrated in her locker outside. She did not feel it. She did not hear it. She was focused, hands steady, mind narrowed to the delicate work beneath her fingers. When the surgery ended successfully and she finally stepped out, exhaustion humming through her bones, she expected nothing more than the usual flood of administrative messages.
Instead, there were twelve missed calls.
Eight from an unknown number.
Three from her security consultant.
One from Dominic.
Her pulse spiked.
She stripped off her gloves, washed her hands, and called Dominic first.
He answered immediately. "Where are you?"
"At the hospital," Lucia said. "What happened?"
"Do not panic," he replied, which told her everything she needed to know.
"Dominic."
"There was an incident near Eli's school," he said. "Not an attempt. Surveillance."
Lucia's vision sharpened painfully. "Explain."
"A woman," Dominic continued. "Mid-thirties. Well-dressed. She tried to strike up a conversation with him during pickup. She was intercepted before she got close."
Lucia closed her eyes, gripping the edge of the sink. "Who?"
"We are still verifying," Dominic said. "But she was not an amateur. This was deliberate."
"Was Eli scared?" Lucia asked, her voice dangerously calm.
"No," Dominic replied. "He did not realize what was happening."
Lucia exhaled, slow and controlled. "I am leaving now."
"I will meet you there."
"No," she said sharply. "You will stay away."
A pause. "Lucia."
"You promised," she continued. "No visible involvement. No hovering. If he sees you every time something happens, he will associate danger with you."
Dominic said nothing for a beat.
"Fine," he said finally. "But I am not disengaging."
"I did not ask you to," Lucia replied and ended the call.
The drive felt endless.
Every red light was an insult. Every pedestrian crossing the street is an obstacle. Her mind replayed the image Dominic had described it over and over, reshaping it into something worse each time. A stranger's smile. A casual question. A hand reaching too close.
By the time she arrived at the school, her control was hanging by a thread.
Eli was in the office, sitting calmly in a chair too big for him, swinging his legs. The principal spoke quietly to someone on the phone. Lucia barely registered her until Eli looked up and saw her.
"Mama."
Lucia crossed the room in three steps and knelt in front of him, hands cupping his face, searching for any sign of distress.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He nodded. "A lady asked me my name."
Lucia's throat tightened. "What did you say?"
"I said my name is Eli," he replied. "Then Mr. Harris came and said I should wait inside."
Lucia closed her eyes briefly, pressing her forehead to his. "You did the right thing."
Eli frowned. "Did I do something bad?"
"No," she said immediately. "You did everything right."
The principal cleared her throat. "Dr. Vale, the woman claimed she was a friend of the family."
Lucia stood slowly. "She is not."
"We have her information," the principal continued. "She left without incident."
Lucia nodded. "This will not happen again."
It was not a promise. It was a warning.
At home, Eli was quieter than usual. He played, but without his usual hum. Lucia stayed close, answering emails with one eye on him, watching for signs she knew might come later. Nightmares. Questions. Fear.
None came.
That scared her too.
That evening, Dominic stood outside her door again.
She did not open it immediately.
"You should not be here," she said through the door.
"I know," he replied. "But we need to talk."
Lucia opened it just enough to look at him. His expression was tight, restrained fury barely contained.
"Who was she?" Lucia asked.
"A courier," Dominic said. "Hired through three layers of intermediaries. She did not know who she was working for."
"Someone is testing boundaries."
"Yes."
Lucia stepped back, allowing him inside this time. "Then stop them."
Dominic's jaw clenched. "I am."
"Faster."
"This is not something you rush," he snapped, then caught himself. "I am sorry."
Lucia folded her arms. "You said it was over."
"I said they would not come near you again," Dominic replied. "I did not say they would stop trying to remind you they exist."
"That is a distinction without comfort."
"I know."
Silence stretched between them, brittle.
"You want to escalate," Lucia said.
"I want to finish it."
"And how many people bleed when you do."
"As few as possible."
Lucia looked at him, really looked. At the exhaustion in his eyes. The weight he carried so easily and so terribly.
"You do not get to decide what price my son pays," she said quietly.
Dominic's voice softened. "Neither do they."
Eli appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. "Mama."
Lucia turned instantly. "Hey."
"Why is he here?" Eli asked, glancing at Dominic.
Lucia hesitated.
Dominic crouched slightly. "Because sometimes adults need to talk when things get complicated."
Eli considered that. "Are things complicated?"
"Yes," Lucia said.
"Are you fighting?"
Lucia and Dominic exchanged a look.
"No," Lucia said. "We are working."
Eli nodded slowly. "Okay."
He yawned again and went back to his room without another word.
Lucia closed her eyes as the door shut. "You cannot keep appearing like this."
"I will stop," Dominic said. "But you need to hear this first."
She opened her eyes. "Say it."
"This is not about power anymore," Dominic said. "Someone believes hurting you is the fastest way to hurt me. That makes you a battlefield whether you want to be or not."
Lucia's expression hardened. "Then move the battlefield."
"I am trying."
"Try harder."
Dominic held her gaze. "I am not the only one who can play this game."
Lucia stiffened. "What does that mean?"
"It means," he said carefully, "that you are not as invisible as you think. Your influence. Your reputation. Your allies. You have leverage you refuse to use."
"Because using it costs people who did nothing wrong," Lucia replied.
"Sometimes protection does," Dominic said.
She shook her head. "You are asking me to become you."
"No," he said. "I am asking you to stop pretending you are powerless."
The words hit home with uncomfortable accuracy.
Lucia turned away, pacing once, then stopping at the window. The city lights blinked back at her, indifferent and unyielding.
"I will not become ruthless," she said.
"You already are," Dominic replied softly. "You just choose your targets carefully."
She laughed once, bitterly. "You sound proud."
"I am," he said. "Of you."
She turned back to him, anger flaring. "Do not."
"Why?"
"Because pride from you feels like ownership."
Dominic flinched. "That is not my intention."
"It used to be."
"Yes," he admitted. "And I am paying for it."
Lucia studied him, searching for manipulation, for strategy. She found none. Only resolve.
"Then understand this," she said. "If this continues, I will act. Not as your ally. Not as your shield. As a mother."
Dominic nodded. "That is the most dangerous role there is."
"Good," Lucia said. "They should be afraid."
For the first time since this began, Dominic smiled. Not with amusement. With recognition.
"They already are," he said.
Outside, the city pulsed on, unaware that lines were being redrawn in quiet apartments and shadowed rooms.
Someone had reached for Eli.
That mistake would not be repeated.
Not by anyone.