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Last night, after her rage, her tears, I told her I loved her, the words spilling out raw, a wound laid bare. Her shock, her whispered question, “You love me?” echoes in my chest, a sound I’ll carry forever. I’m not shocked at my confession, not now.Relief floods me, clean and sharp, that I’ve finally said it, laid my heart bare for her to see.
I shift, careful not to wake her, my hand resting on hers, her fingers warm and fragile under mine. When I said I loved her, her eyes had searched mine for a lie. I gave her none, my truth spilling out, and though she didn’t say it back, her touch, her lean into me, spoke louder than words. I’ve hurt her, doubted her, called her a Rossi snake, but she’s still here, breathing beside me, our child safe within her. My chest tightens, love and guilt tangling, a knot I don’t know how to unravel.
Morning light creeps through the curtains, soft and golden, painting her face in hues that make her look like a dream. I trace her jaw with my thumb, gentle, afraid she’ll vanish if I press too hard.
Her eyes flutter open, green and sharp, catching mine, and a small smile curves her lips, fragile but real. “You’re staring,” she whispers, voice hoarse, and I feel a warmth I don’t deserve, a flicker of hope in the wreckage of my mistakes.
“Can’t help it,” I murmur, my voice low, rough with everything I’ve held back.
She shifts, wincing as her cuts pull, and I’m on my knees beside her, adjusting pillows, my hands careful. “Easy,” I say, my heart twisting at her pain.
Her smile fades, her eyes searching mine, and I see it—the weight of the warehouse, Adriano’s knife, my accusations.
“Fina,” I start, my voice catching, “last night, when I said I love you, I meant it. Every word.” My throat burns, but I don’t stop, the relief of confessing pushing me forward. “I love you, mi esposa” I say again, the words easier now, a truth I can’t hold back. “I love the fire in you, the way you fight, the way you stood up to Adriano, to me, even when I didn’t deserve it. I love your strength, your heart. I've loved you for longer than I knew. You’re my world, you and our child, and I almost lost you because I was too blind to see it.”
Her breath hitches, tears welling in her eyes, and I keep going, my heart open, no walls left. “I was a fool, Fina. I let my hate for the Rossis, my fear of betrayal, cloud everything. You tried to warn me about Adriano, and I pushed you away, called you a liar. I’ll never forgive myself for that, for putting you in his hands.” My voice cracks, my hand tightening on hers, needing her to feel my truth. “I love you, more than my life, more than this empire. I’d burn it all for you, start over, anything to keep you safe.”
Fina’s tears spill, silent, trailing down her cheeks, and my chest aches, fear spiking that I’ve hurt her again. But she reaches for me, her hand trembling, cupping my face, her touch a fire that warms the cold in me.
“Enzo,” she whispers, her voice breaking, “I love you too.”
The words hit like a tidal wave, making my heart stumble in my chest. Love? From her, after everything?
Her eyes hold mine, fierce and unguarded, and I see it—the truth, the love she’s carried, buried under my cruelty, her pride, our war. Her voice trembles as she continues, “I’ve loved you through every fight, every hurt. Even when I hated you, I couldn’t stop. You came for me, saved me, and I know you’ll fight for us, for our baby.”
I pull her close, careful of her wounds, my arms wrapping around her, her warmth seeping into me. Tears burn my eyes, a reaction I never thought I’d have, my love for her a tide I can’t hold back.
“You love me,” I choke, my voice rough, disbelieving, and she nods against my chest, her sobs soft, her fingers gripping my shirt.
“I do,” she murmurs, “always have, always will.” Her words break me open, my love for her a tide I can’t hold back, and I press my lips to her hair, breathing her in, vowing to be the man she deserves.
We stay like that, tangled together, the world fading, the manor’s silence a cocoon around us. Her breathing steadies, her tears slowing, and I feel her strength, the fire that kept her alive through Adriano’s lair.
“I was scared,” she whispers, her voice small, “not just for me, for our baby, for you. I thought you wouldn’t come, that you’d believe I betrayed you.”
My heart twists, my gut churning. “Never again,” I swear, my voice low, fierce. “I’ll never doubt you, Fina. You’re my home, my everything.”
She pulls back, her eyes meeting mine, red-rimmed but bright, a spark of her defiance shining through. “We’re a mess, aren’t we?” she says, a shaky laugh escaping, and I smile, the first real smile in days, my love for her a warmth I can’t contain.
“Sì,” I say, brushing a tear from her cheek, “but we’re our mess, together.” Her smile widens, fragile but true, and I kiss her, soft and slow, tasting salt and hope, sealing a promise I’ll never break.
The weight of Adriano’s betrayal, the war with the Vitales, it’s still out there, but here, with Fina, it fades, less important than her heartbeat, our child’s future.
“What now?” she asks, her voice steadying, her hand resting on her stomach, a gesture that makes my love surge.
“Now,” I say, my voice firm, “we heal, we fight, we build something better. For us, for our family.” I mean every word,my empire meaningless without her, my heart hers, now and always.
She nods, leaning into me, her warmth a light in the dark of my past. I think of my mother, Lucia, her death avenged, Adriano bound and waiting for justice. I think of Fina’s courage, her love, a gift I don’t deserve but will spend my life earning.
The morning light grows, spilling gold across the room, and I know this is our beginning, not an end. Fina’s love, her strength, is my anchor, and I’ll fight for her, for our child, for the life we’ll carve from this chaos. I kiss her again, my heart full, the tearjerking weight of our love a truth I’ll carry forever. We’re broken, scarred, but together, we’re whole, and nothing—not Adriano, not the Vitales, not my own demons—will take her from me again.
It's a vow.
Epilogue
Serafina
The clinic’s air is cool and sterile, a sharp contrast to the warmth blooming in my chest as I lie on the exam table, my hand clasped in Enzo’s. His fingers are rough but stead as he holds firmly to me. His eyes are fixed on the ultrasound screen, their dark depths soft with something I’ve only recently learned to name—love.