Chapter 14 - Six Months Later, My Daughter Put on a Yellow Dress and Took My Hand at the Place Where She Saved My LifeSix months later, we returned to Manhattan.
Fifty-Third Street.
The same sidewalk.
The same buildings.
The same corner where I had collapsed.
Lily wore a yellow dress.
She held my hand.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“This is where you fell.”
“Yes.”
“Were you scared?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I was going to die.”
She squeezed my hand.
“But you didn't.”
“No.”
“Because I helped you.”
I smiled.
“Because you helped me.”
She looked around.
People passed us without recognizing me.
That was something I loved.
I wasn't a mafia boss anymore.
I was just Lily's father.
We stopped at the exact spot.
She placed a small yellow flower on the pavement.
“For you.”
I crouched.
“Thank you.”
She hugged me.
Then whispered,
“You're my favorite person.”
I closed my eyes.
Seven years ago, I thought power was everything.
Three years ago, I would have killed anyone who challenged me.
Six months ago, I walked away from the empire.
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And now a six-year-old girl was teaching me that the greatest victory wasn't defeating an enemy.
It was coming home.
