Five years after I called my wife broken and signed away our marriage because doctors said she could never give me a child, I walked into a sealed Manhattan restaurant and found a little girl coloring at table nine. Then she looked up with the same black-and-gold eyes that had marked every Valenti heir for generations—and the woman I had destroyed pulled her close and said, “She is mine.”

The morning sun was just breaking over the Manhattan skyline as I pushed through the precinct doors.

Elena was standing by Julian’s black SUV, wrapped in a heavy wool coat, looking at the sunrise.

When she heard the doors open, she turned.

Tears instantly flooded her beautiful eyes.

I did not stop running until I had my arms securely wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground.

She buried her face in my neck, sobbing softly as I held her as tight as my battered body would allow.

"I thought I lost you again," she cried, her fingers gripping my shirt.

"Never again," I swore, kissing the top of her head.

"I am done with the shadows. I am done with the family."

Julian leaned against the car, smoking a rare cigar, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"I am transferring all your legitimate assets to a clean holding company in Switzerland," Julian said.

"You and Elena can disappear. Give the girl a real life."

I walked over to Julian and extended my hand.

He shook it firmly, an unspoken respect cementing the bond between two dangerous men.

I opened the back door of the SUV.

Aria was awake, rubbing her eyes as she looked at me.

"Are we going home, Daddy?" she asked softly.

I climbed in beside her, pulling both her and Elena into my arms.

"Yes, piccola," I smiled, the weight of a lifetime of violence finally lifting from my shoulders.

"We are going home."

For the first time in my life, I felt true, undeniable peace as the car drove us away from the ruins of my past.

We settled into a heavily guarded, beautiful estate by the lake in Geneva, Switzerland, far from the mafia's reach.

Late that evening, after putting Aria to sleep, I walked into her bedroom to adjust her blankets.

I noticed a new drawing lying on her bedside table, illuminated by the nightlight.

It was a crayon sketch of a tall man wearing a crown, standing over a grave with my name on it.

The Clumsy Maid Bathed His Dog—Then The Mafia Boss Said She Wasn’t Leavi...

She found her husband with another woman and walked away so quietly that...

The Mafia Boss Asked a Disabled Widow If She Was Okay

Aria stirred in her sleep, whispering, "The man with no eyes said he is coming for you, Daddy."

I looked out the window toward the dark tree line, where a single, motionless shadow stood watching the house.

Chapter 10 - The Vow