Chapter 15 - The Gown Worn Right
The reception at the Moretti estate was the most magnificent celebration the city had ever witnessed.
Tens of thousands of twinkling fairy lights illuminated the grand gardens. A forty-piece orchestra played beneath the stars, and the finest Sicilian wines flowed freely into crystal glasses.
Luca and I danced our first dance as husband and wife in the center of the grand ballroom, beneath the very chandelier where Vanessa had once tried to humiliate me.
Now, I was the undisputed Donna of the Moretti empire.
The emerald ring on my finger sparkled brilliantly under the lights, and my late mother-in-law’s gown swirled gracefully with every step Luca led me through.
“A penny for your thoughts, Mrs. Moretti,” Luca whispered against my ear, his strong arms holding me securely against his chest.
I looked up into the handsome face of the man who had changed my life forever.
“I was just thinking about that night in the dining room,” I admitted with a soft smile. “When I was clutching my bruised ribs, terrified I wouldn't have eighty-four dollars to buy Leo’s medicine.”
Luca stopped dancing for a brief moment, gazing down at me with infinite tenderness.
“You never have to be afraid again, Hannah,” Luca promised, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Everything I have is yours. My empire, my family, my protection... and my whole heart.”
Uncle Salvatore raised his champagne glass from the head table, shouting across the room:
“To the Don and Donna Moretti! May their reign be long, their love be unbreakable, and their home forever protected!”
Five hundred voices rose in a thunderous toast:
“To Luca and Hannah! Salute!”
We raised our glasses to our family, to the future, and to the eternal memory of the woman whose sacred gown had brought us together through pain, truth, and undeniable love.
As fireworks exploded across the midnight sky over the Hudson River, painting the night in vibrant shades of gold and emerald, Luca held me close against his heart.
We had survived the fire.
We had exposed the vipers.
May you like
And together, we had built an empire of true love that would never be broken.
THE END
