Chapter 13 - THE FIRST DANCE
The grand ballroom of the Drake Hotel was bathed in the warm, amber glow of three massive crystal chandeliers.
The tables were covered in white linen, centered with towering arrangements of white orchids and floating candles.
The orchestra played a slow, romantic waltz.
Lorenzo and Amelia danced in the center of the polished marble floor.
Amelia rested her head against Lorenzo’s chest, her fingers resting lightly on his broad shoulder.
Lorenzo’s hand was warm and steady against the small of her back, guiding her effortlessly across the stone.
“Are you happy, Mrs. Bianchi?” Lorenzo murmured into her ear.
Amelia looked up, her hazel eyes sparkling with boundless joy.
“Mrs. Bianchi...” she tested the words on her lips.
“It sounds like a dream, Enzo.”
“A dream that will never end,” he promised, spinning her gracefully beneath the chandelier light.
Nearby, Clara was dancing with Marco, laughing as the giant security chief tried valiantly not to step on her toes.
Mia was sitting at the head table with her mother, surrounded by young cousins, holding court like a beloved princess.
The past was buried beneath the snow.
The debts were paid.
The monsters were locked away in iron cages.
“Enzo,” Amelia whispered as the music slowed to a gentle cadence.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I have a confession to make.”
Lorenzo raised an eyebrow, amused.
“Another secret, Amelia?”
Amelia leaned up on her tiptoes, her lips brushing his ear:
“When I left that note on the dressing table two weeks ago...”
“Yes?”
“I lied about the six words.”
Lorenzo stopped dancing.
He looked down into her eyes, his brow furrowing softly.
“Which words?”
Amelia smiled, her fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw.
“I wrote: I don't love you.”
“And what was the truth?”
“I have loved you since the first morning you bought me coffee in the rain,” she whispered.
“And I will love you until the end of time.”
May you like
Lorenzo’s throat moved as he swallowed back an overwhelming surge of emotion.
He swept her into his arms, lifting her completely off the floor, and kissed her with a passion that made the entire ballroom erupt into another round of deafening cheers.
