Chapter 15 - A Kingdom of Our Own and the Happily Ever After
Three years later.
The grand gardens of the Castellano estate were alive with the sound of music, laughter, and clinking champagne flutes.
Hundreds of guests—legitimate business leaders, city officials, and loyal family members—gathered beneath a canopy of white roses and fairy lights overlooking the calm, sparkling waters of Puget Sound.
Emma, now six years old, looked like a little fairy princess in her pale pink flower girl dress, running through the grass with a huge smile, holding the hand of her new baby brother, eight-month-old Arthur Castellano, who was toddling on chubby, sturdy legs.
"Careful, Emma!" Mrs. Chen called out from a nearby table, laughing as she sipped her iced tea. "Don't let him eat the rose petals!"
I stood by the edge of the stone balustrade, wearing a flowing white silk dress that shimmered in the afternoon sun. I rested a hand over my heart, feeling the cool weight of the silver locket beneath my fingers.
Strong, familiar arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and the intoxicating scent of cedarwood and expensive spice enveloped me.
Luca pressed a gentle kiss to the crook of my neck.
"What are you thinking about, my love?" he asked, his deep baritone rumbling against my spine.
I leaned back against his chest, watching our children play in the sunlight, safe in the fortress he had built for us.
"I was thinking about a rainy Tuesday night at Marino's Diner," I said, turning in his arms to smile up into those dark, beautiful whiskey eyes. "About an exhausted waitress who couldn't stand, and the terrifying mafia boss who carried her into the storm."
Luca smiled—a rare, genuine, breathtaking smile that belonged only to me and our children.
"I didn't carry you into the storm, Ava," Luca murmured, leaning down to capture my lips in a tender, timeless kiss. "You brought me out of the dark."
He took my hand, intertwining our fingers, where our matching platinum wedding bands caught the brilliant light of the setting sun.
"Forever, my queen," he whispered.
"Forever, my king," I answered.
May you like
And for the first time in my life, the stars shone brightly—not because the night was dark, but because our world was finally filled with light.
THE END
