Chapter 9 - Healing the Scars
Two months had passed since the night the dining room doors were locked.
Winter had finally loosened its grip on Chicago, replaced by the pale, gentle warmth of early spring. The grand Moretti estate was no longer a cold, sterile fortress of shadows.
Laughter echoed down the wide marble hallways—a sound the mansion hadn't heard in decades.
I stood on the back terrace, leaning against the stone balustrade, holding a warm mug of tea. Down on the vast green lawn, Gabriel was running across the grass, holding the string of a bright yellow kite while Lily sprinted beside him, her tiny laughter ringing out against the spring breeze.
Gabriel was wearing dark denim jeans and a simple gray sweater, his sleeves pushed up, revealing the tattoos on his forearms. The lethal Don who had terrorized the Commission two months ago was entirely gone. In his place was a man discovering what it meant to have a home.
I smiled, my chest tightening with an emotion I was no longer afraid to name.
When the dust had settled after the Commission meeting, Gabriel had given me the deed to a stunning home in Lincoln Park and a trust fund that would ensure Lily never had to work a day in her life. He had told me I was free—that Daniel’s debt was paid, and I could take Lily anywhere in the world.
I had looked at the deed, then looked at him, standing alone in that massive, empty mansion.
*“Daniel wanted you to be our protector,”* I had told him that night by the fire. *“He didn't want you to be alone. And neither do we.”*
I had stayed. Not as a maid. Not as a ghost. But as the woman who had brought light back into his shattered world.
Gabriel caught the kite’s descent, winding the string carefully before handing the spool to Lily, who ran toward the gardens to show the head groundskeeper her prize.
Gabriel walked up the stone steps of the terrace, his breath coming in light clouds, his gray eyes bright and clear.
“She’s fast,” he said with a grin, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead. “She gets that from Daniel. He could outrun every cop in the 11th District when we were kids.”
“She gets her stubbornness from him, too,” I chuckled, handing him a glass of water.
Gabriel took the glass, drank it down, and set it on the stone table. He stepped closer to me, leaning against the balustrade so his shoulder brushed mine.
“How are you feeling, Rachel?” he asked, his voice softening into that low, intimate tone that always made my pulse race.
“Peaceful,” I answered honestly, turning to look at him. “For the first time in three years, I woke up this morning without checking the locks on the door. I didn't look at the rear-view mirror once when I drove Lily to preschool.”
Gabriel reached out, his fingers gently brushing against my cheek, tucking a strand of dark hair behind my ear. His touch was warm, lingering with an unspoken devotion that had deepened with every passing day.
“You gave me my life back, Rachel,” he murmured, his gaze holding mine. “Daniel saved my body at the shipyard. But you and Lily... you saved my soul.”
“You saved us, too, Gabe,” I whispered, leaning slightly into his touch.
Gabriel’s hand slid down to cup my neck, his thumb tracing my jawline. For a moment, neither of us breathed. The grief that had once stood between us like an impenetrable wall had transformed into a bridge—a shared love for the man we had lost, and a blossoming, undeniable passion for the future we were building together.
He leaned down slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.
I didn't.
When his lips met mine, it wasn't the fierce, violent clash of mafia empires; it was tender, deep, and filled with a profound, healing reverence. My hands found his broad shoulders, holding him close as three years of loneliness, sorrow, and survival melted away in the spring sun.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, his breath warm on my lips.
“Marry me, Rachel,” he whispered. “Not for an alliance. Not for an obligation to Daniel. Marry me because I love you. Because I want to spend every sunrise proving that you and Lily are safe.”
Tears of pure joy welled in my eyes. I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck.
May you like
“Yes,” I answered softly against his lips. “A thousand times, yes.”
***
