Chapter 10 - The Sweetest Surrender
Marco's bullet tore through the air, but Luca was faster.
He spun us around, taking the impact in his heavily armored vest just as his guards opened fire.
Marco fell into the dark water, his treason finally at an end.
Luca collapsed to his knees, the breath knocked out of him by the sheer force of the bullet.
I dropped down beside him, frantically checking the Kevlar to ensure the round hadn't penetrated.
"I am fine, little baker," he rasped, coughing as he pulled me into his arms.
We sat there in the mud, holding onto each other while the estate security finally secured the perimeter.
Two weeks later, the Lake Como estate was quiet again.
The traitors had been dealt with, and the Rossi family had offered a heavy tribute in exchange for peace.
Luca was sitting in the newly repaired kitchen, watching me with a soft smile.
I pulled a fresh tray of pastries from the oven, deliberately keeping my movements careful so I wouldn't trip.
He stood up, crossed the room, and wrapped his massive arms around my waist from behind.
"You do not have to hide your clumsiness from me," he murmured, kissing the side of my neck.
"I love every single chaotic piece of you."
I turned around and kissed my husband, knowing I had finally found exactly where I belonged.
Our marriage had started as a debt, but it had forged an unbreakable partnership.
We were safe, we were together, and the shadows of the past were finally gone.
Or so I thought.
Three months later, a beautifully wrapped package arrived on the kitchen counter with no return address.
I opened the box to find a perfectly preserved, antique wedding cake topper.
May you like
Attached was a handwritten note in a script I hadn't seen since I was a little girl.
It was my mother's handwriting, though she had been dead for twenty years, and the note simply read: "It is time for your real family to come home."
