Chapter 8 - The Mafia Heir Was Gone—And The Man I Loved Finally Admitted What He Wanted
Dante sold the remaining properties connected to the old organization.
He kept Aurelia.
Not because of business.
Because that was where he had found me.
The ballroom was renovated.
The tables changed.
The walls changed.
But he kept the camera above the entrance.
He told me it was a reminder.
"What does it remind you of?"
"The day you walked back into my life."
I laughed.
"You make everything dramatic."
"I had a dramatic life."
"True."
Our family slowly became normal.
As normal as possible.
Elena returned to painting.
Vanessa started working with a nonprofit.
Dante invested in community emergency services.
And I went back to school.
I wanted to become a forensic financial investigator.
Eight months of tracking stolen money had awakened something in me.
Dante supported it.
But he never controlled it.
One evening, after class, a black car waited outside.
Dante was inside.
"What are you doing here?"
"Your mother told me to pick you up."
"I can drive."
"I know."
"Then why?"
He smiled.
"I missed you."
That answer made me laugh.
Then I noticed someone else in the car.
Vanessa.
"You're both terrible at surprises."
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
"We're taking you to dinner."
"Why?"
She looked embarrassed.
"Because I need advice."
"About what?"
"My future."
I smiled.
It was a small moment.
But important.
She no longer saw me as an enemy.
She saw me as family.
Later that night, I found Dante alone on the balcony.
He looked at the city.
"Everything feels different."
"Because it is."
"Sometimes I miss the old life."
I looked at him.
"What do you miss?"
"The certainty."
"The power?"
He nodded.
"I always knew what to do."
"And now?"
"Now I have to learn how to live."
I smiled.
"That's harder."
"Much."
He turned toward me.
"Amara."
"Yes?"
"I want something."
"What?"
He took a breath.
"I want you to stay."
"I live here."
"Not just here."
I stared at him.
He smiled.
"I mean stay in my life."
My chest tightened.
"I'm not going anywhere."
He hugged me.
For a man feared by thousands, Dante held me like a father terrified of losing his daughter again.
Then he whispered:
"I wasted twenty years."
"No."
He pulled back.
"What?"
"You found me."
His eyes filled with tears.
"I did."
"And that's what matters."
Across the garden, Elena watched us.
She smiled.
May you like
For once, there was no fear in her eyes.
Only peace.
