Chapter 12 - THE TRUE HEIRLOOM (THE EPILOGUE)
I spun around, clutching the Polaroid to my chest.
Luca was leaning against the doorframe of the master bedroom, dressed casually in dark jeans and a gray Henley shirt. He looked relaxed, healthy, and devastatingly handsome.
"You took this?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "A year ago?"
Luca walked slowly into the room, his eyes never leaving mine. "I did. From my study window."
He stopped just inches in front of me, reaching out to gently trace the line of my jaw with his thumb.
"When Vanessa brought you into this house," Luca confessed softly, "she thought she was being clever. She thought she was keeping a hostage under my roof to blackmail your mother. But she underestimated me."
My breath caught in my throat. "You knew?"
"I am the head of the Moretti family, Sophie," Luca said, a hint of his old, terrifying intellect flashing in his eyes. "No one gets hired in my house without a full background check. I knew exactly who your mother was the day your name crossed my desk. I knew she was the night nurse."
Tears pricked my eyes. "Then why didn't you fire me? Why didn't you confront Vanessa?"
"Because if I fired you, Vanessa would have known I was onto her, and she would have had you and your mother killed," Luca explained, his voice thick with emotion. "I couldn't prove she was plotting with Peter yet. So, I kept you close. I made sure my security detail quietly watched your mother's house. I kept you in my orbit to protect you."
I stared at him, completely overwhelmed. He hadn't just been a distant boss. He had been my silent guardian for an entire year.
"But then," Luca continued, his voice dropping to a husky, vulnerable whisper, "I started watching you. I saw how kind you were to the staff. I saw how you smiled when you read in the garden. I saw the way you carried the weight of the world on your shoulders to protect your mother."
He reached down and gently took the Polaroid from my hand, placing it on the dresser.
"I fell in love with you, Sophie," Luca said, the confession hanging in the air like a beautiful, fragile promise. "Long before the engagement dinner. Long before the broken window. I agreed to marry Vanessa to lure Peter out of hiding so I could destroy them both, but the hardest part of the entire plan was watching her treat you like dirt."
A tear slipped down my cheek. "You didn't have to hide it anymore."
"I know," Luca smiled, leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss against my lips. "And I never will again."
He took my hand and led me out of the bedroom, down the grand staircase, and out the French doors into the beautiful, sprawling gardens of the estate.
The sun was beginning to set, painting the Chicago sky in brilliant shades of pink and gold.
In the center of the garden, near a beautiful stone fountain, my mother, Marco, and little Leo were setting up a picnic blanket on the grass. Leo was laughing hysterically as Marco chased him with a plastic dinosaur.
It was a picture of absolute, perfect peace.
Luca stopped walking. He turned to me, taking both of my hands in his.
"Twelve years ago, my family was shattered by greed and secrets," Luca said, his dark eyes shining with intense emotion. "You brought the light back into this house, Sophie. You saved my brother. You saved me."
He slowly dropped to one knee on the manicured grass.
My hands flew to my mouth, a happy sob escaping my throat.
Luca didn't pull out a massive, gaudy diamond. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple, elegant vintage ring.
"This belonged to my grandmother," Luca said softly. "The only woman in the Moretti bloodline who married for true love. It is our true family heirloom."
He looked up at me, his heart completely bare.
"Sophie Hayes, I don't have an empire anymore," Luca smiled. "But I have a family. And I want you to be the center of it. Will you marry me?"
"Yes," I cried, dropping to my knees in the grass right in front of him, throwing my arms around his neck. "Yes, Luca. A thousand times, yes."
He let out a breathless laugh, wrapping his strong arms around me and kissing me deeply, pulling me flush against his chest.
Over by the picnic blanket, my mother cheered loudly, and little Leo clapped his hands.
I pulled back, resting my forehead against Luca's, looking deep into the eyes of the man I loved.
May you like
The mafia boss was gone. The frightened maid was gone.
All that was left was a man, a woman, and a future brighter than the setting sun.
