Chapter 9 - THE FALL OF AN EMPIRE
The aftermath of the siege was a bloodbath, but not for the Valentines.
When Dominic realized the attack on the estate was a coordinated strike, he unleashed a wrath New York hadn't seen in a century. While I recovered from the minor gunshot graze and bruised throat, Dominic went on a merciless offensive.
He didn't just defeat the Moretti family; he erased them. Within forty-eight hours, every high-ranking member of Carlo's syndicate was either dead, arrested by federal agents on anonymously tipped evidence, or fleeing the country. Carlo himself was found dead in his study, a poetic end to a ruthless reign.
Dominic returned to the estate three days later. He looked exhausted, carrying the weight of the violence he had committed, but there was a definitive peace in his eyes.
I was sitting in the garden, reading a book while the twins played on the lawn, safely surrounded by double the usual security. The afternoon sun was warm, a stark contrast to the darkness we had just survived.
Dominic walked out, taking a seat beside me on the stone bench. He didn't say anything at first; he just watched his children play.
"It's done," he finally said, his voice rough. "The Morettis are gone. The men who killed your father are dead or in federal prison. Your brother is recovering from a successful surgery. Your mother's cancer is in remission."
I looked at him, my heart swelling with an emotion so large it threatened to break my ribs all over again. He had committed atrocities, yes. He was a mafia boss. But he had moved heaven and earth to protect me and my family. He had given me justice.
"What happens now?" I asked softly.
Dominic turned to me. The vulnerability in his dark eyes was staggering. "Now, you are free. The debts are paid. The threats are gone. You can walk out those gates, Lily. You can go back to a normal life. I will set up a trust for you and your family. You will never have to work a double shift at a diner again."
Panic flared in my chest. "You're sending me away?"
"I am giving you a choice," he corrected, cupping my cheek. "A choice I took from you the night you were shot. My world is dark, Lily. It's violent and dangerous. You are pure, brave, and too good for me. But if you walk out those gates, I need you to know that you take my heart with you."
I leaned into his palm, closing my eyes. I thought about my tiny apartment in Brooklyn. I thought about the quiet, mundane life I had lived. And then I looked at the man who had become my protector, my lover, and my family. I looked at Gia and Nico laughing in the grass.
"I already made my choice, Dominic," I said, opening my eyes and meeting his intense gaze. "My father told me to do the right thing, not the easy thing. Walking away from you would be the easy thing."
Dominic's breath hitched.
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"I'm staying," I whispered, closing the distance between us. "You owe me a blood debt, Valentine. And I'm collecting."
Dominic let out a shaky laugh, pulling me onto his lap and crushing his lips to mine. It wasn't a kiss of desperation or fear this time. It was a promise.
