Chapter 12 - The Man Who Once Ruled New York's Underworld Proposed to Me Without a Gun, a Threat, or a Secret—Only Our Son Listening NearbyDominic didn't propose immediately.
He waited.
Months.
He wanted the children to be comfortable.
He wanted me to trust him.
He wanted to build something without fear.
We started small.
Family dinners.
School events.
Sunday breakfasts.
The first time Caleb called me "Mom" in front of Dominic, I cried.
The first time Dominic heard Ivy call him "Dad," he had to leave the room.
Noah was the worst.
He told everyone Dominic had become boring.
Dominic pretended to be offended.
The children loved watching us argue.
It made the house feel normal.
One spring evening, Dominic took me to the ballroom.
The same ballroom where I had been shot.
The chandelier had been replaced.
The marble floor polished.
The bullet marks were gone.
He stood beneath the new lights.
Caleb stood beside him.
Ivy held a small box.
Noah carried flowers.
I laughed.
"What are you doing?"
Dominic looked nervous.
Actually nervous.
"I've been thinking."
"That's dangerous."
He smiled.
"Three months ago, you walked into my house with a fake name."
I rolled my eyes.
"I was trying to survive."
"You did more than survive."
He took the box from Ivy.
Then he knelt.
I covered my mouth.
"Mara Voss."
My eyes filled with tears.
"I don't want to know who you were before."
He opened the box.
The ring was simple.
Elegant.
Nothing like the kind of ring a crime boss might buy.
"I want to know who you are now."
Caleb whispered:
"Say yes."
I laughed through tears.
Dominic looked at our son.
"You were supposed to stay quiet."
"No."
I looked at Dominic.
"Ask again."
He smiled.
"Will you marry me?"
I took his hand.
"Yes."
The children screamed.
Noah threw the flowers in the air.
Ivy hugged me.
Caleb hugged Dominic.
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And for the first time, the ballroom held a memory that wasn't about blood.
It was about family.
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