Chapter 7 - TWO GIRLS IN THE GARDEN
Three Days Later.
The morning sun filtered through the grand oaks surrounding the Caruso estate, casting warm, golden rays across the manicured lawn.
The nightmare of the engagement dinner and the highway ambush felt like a lifetime ago. Vanessa Bellini and Dr. Richard Hale were sitting in federal holding cells, facing decades in prison for kidnapping, fraud, and conspiracy. The Bellini syndicate was officially dismantled, its assets seized by federal authorities.
And inside the mansion, the heavy, lonely silence was gone, replaced by the sound of running footsteps, giggles, and music.
I stood on the back patio, holding a tray of freshly baked lemon scones, watching the lawn.
Sophie and Elena were sitting side by side on a large picnic blanket beneath the shade of the weeping willow tree. They wore matching floral dresses that Dante had rushed out to buy them the day before.
They looked so much alike it was like looking through a mirror—the same dark curls, the same bright, expressive eyes.
“Here you go, girls,” I said, walking over and setting the tray of scones down on the grass.
“Thank you, Emily!” Elena beamed, grabbing a scone. She still occasionally looked around with a hint of caution, as if she expected the world to vanish again, but every day she grew a little more confident.
“Are you staying for lunch, Emily?” Sophie asked, looking up at me with her mother’s smile.
“I’m always around, sweetheart,” I laughed softly, brushing a crumb from Sophie’s dress. “I’m the housemaid, remember?”
“You’re not just a housemaid anymore,” a deep voice murmured behind me.
I turned around.
Dante stood at the edge of the patio, holding a steaming mug of black coffee. He wore a simple dark blue polo shirt and jeans, looking relaxed for the first time in years. The harsh, untouchable mafia boss had completely softened into a dedicated, present father.
“Good morning, Mr. Caruso,” I said, stepping back slightly.
“Morning, Emily,” Dante replied, walking down the stone steps toward the lawn. He stopped a few feet away from me, his dark eyes warm and intense. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that when we’re off duty?”
“Old habits die hard,” I smiled nervously.
Dante chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. He watched his daughters laughing together over the picnic basket for a moment before looking back at me.
“The federal prosecutor called an hour ago,” Dante said quietly. “The trial dates are set. Vanessa isn't taking a plea; she’s threatening to counter-sue, claiming she was just following her father’s orders.”
“She’ll lose,” I said firmly. “There’s too much documentation. Dr. Hale gave the feds every ledger.”
“She will lose,” Dante agreed. “And when she does, this chapter of our lives will be closed forever.”
He set his coffee mug down on the edge of the stone birdbath, then reached into his pants pocket.
He pulled out a small, familiar object.
The gold bracelet.
The one with the three tiny flowers.
My breath caught in my throat. I hadn't seen it since the night of the engagement dinner.
Dante walked closer, stopping just inches away from me. The scent of cedar and morning air surrounded him.
“When Anna died,” Dante began, his voice dropping into that deep, intimate register, “I thought my capacity for happiness was buried with her. I let my mother talk me into an engagement with Vanessa because I thought Sophie needed a mother figure, and I needed an armor against the world.”
He looked down at the bracelet in his palm, gently tracing the tiny gold flowers.
“I was wrong. Armor just keeps you from feeling anything at all.”
He looked back up, locking his dark eyes onto mine.
“This bracelet belonged to Anna,” Dante said softly. “It represents her wedding, her firstborn child, and the baby she lost. But the night of the dinner, when Sophie pointed out the scratch... I realized something.”
“What’s that, Mr. Caruso?” I whispered, my heart racing.
“Anna didn't just leave me a memory,” Dante said, stepping closer until I could feel the heat radiating from his body. “She left me a path. She had Aunt Margaret and you looking out for her girls because she knew, long before I did, who was truly loyal to this family.”
He took my right hand, lifting it gently.
May you like
Before I could protest, Dante slid the gold bracelet over my wrist.
The three tiny flowers rested against my pulse point, glittering brilliantly in the morning sunlight.
