Chapter 15 - The New Mistress of the Moretti EmpireLater that evening, after the grand reception at the Drake Hotel had wound down into soft music, clinking crystal, and lively laughter, Dante and Elena stood together on the private master terrace of their Lake Forest mansion.
A gentle winter breeze rustled the sheer curtains behind them, carrying the clean, crisp scent of Lake Michigan and the distant twinkling lights of the city skyline below.
Dante held her from behind, his arms wrapped securely around her waist, his chin resting gently on her shoulder.
Elena’s hand rested over his, the platinum and sapphire rings catching the silver glow of the Chicago moon.
“Are you tired, Donna Elena?” Dante whispered into her ear.
Elena leaned back against the broad, solid warmth of his chest, smiling up at the starlit sky, feeling the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart against her shoulder blades.
She thought of the midnight train in Indiana, the blood on her collar, the terror of running through the dark woods, and the moment a man with obsidian eyes had reached out and pulled her into his sanctuary.
“Not anymore, Dante,” she whispered back, turning in his arms to cup his rugged face in her hands. “Tonight, I’m finally home.”
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He smiled—the soft, peaceful smile of a sovereign whose wars were won and whose soul was finally whole—and kissed his wife beneath the Midwestern stars.
THE END
