THE CRIME BOSS'S SILENT SON WOULDN'T EAT FOR SIX DAYS — THEN A BROKE WAITRESS BROKE EVERY RULE IN THE ROOM

The estate felt different upon their return. The shadows were gone. Marcus, recovering in a private hospital wing with strict orders to survive, had left a void, but Damon had filled the house with his own presence. He wasn't hiding in his study anymore.

Nora sat on the edge of the massive soaking tub in Damon's master bathroom, letting him gently clean the wound on her temple with a warm, damp cloth.

"You didn't have to stay," Damon murmured, his thumb grazing her jaw. "After the warehouse. I would have given you millions. You could have gone anywhere. Been safe."

"Safe is boring," Nora whispered, looking into his eyes. "And I couldn't leave Milo. Or you."

Damon’s hand stilled. He looked at her, his walls completely dismantled. "I am a criminal, Nora. I have blood on my hands that will never wash off. I dragged you into a nightmare."

"You also saved us," she replied fiercely. "You love him so much it tore you apart. And I see who you are, Damon. I see the man who is trying to fix it."

Damon dropped the cloth, pulling her into his lap right there on the bathroom floor. He kissed her deeply, with a desperate reverence, treating her like she was the most precious thing he had ever held.

"I'm dismantling the syndicate," he breathed against her lips. "I've handed the illegal operations to the Five Families. It cost me half my fortune and nearly cost me a war, but I sold the docks. The shipping lines are legitimate now. The casinos are clean. I am walking away."

Nora’s eyes widened. "They let you just walk away?"

"No one argues with a man who massacred Petrov's entire crew in five minutes," Damon said darkly, then softened. "I did it for Milo. But I also did it for you. Because I cannot ask a woman like you to live in the dark. I want to marry you in the light."