Page 263 of Anti-Heroes in Love Duet

I laughed because it was absurd to think of how much I’d changed in the past four and a half months. It didn’t feel as if I was a completely new person, only that the secret things I’d kept hidden in the darkness of my soul had finally burst free like a black butterfly from its chrysalis.

I felt more like me than I ever had before.

“I hope you aren’t laughing at the idea,” Yara drawled with an arched brow.

Immediately, I sobered. “No, no, far from it. I’m sorry, I was just overwhelmed by how much life has changed in the past few months. Opening a firm together would be more than a dream come true. It was a dream I never even thought to form because it seemed so outlandish.”

She graced me with a small smile, stepping closer to squeeze my hand even though she wasn’t a tactile person. “Sometimes, the darkness in someone else brings out the best in us. That’s what my Donni did to me, and I can see it’s what Dante has done for you. I’m in no rush, but let’s talk about it further sometime next week after you’re settled. I’d like to strike while the proverbial iron is hot and people are still talking about us.”

“I agree. Okay, thank you, Yara.” I hesitated, then decided to go for it, following my mandate to be more open with people. “It means a lot to have a woman I highly respect believe in me.”

“I hope it will teach you to believe in yourself even more,” she countered. “I really believe the sky’s the limit to the success you can achieve in this field, Elena. You’re truly a talented lawyer.”

She moved away then, leaving me with an enigmatic smile as I tried to digest the beauty of that moment.

I’d thought that in loving Dante, I would have to give up my second love—my career. It wasn’t a hard decision to make, though I knew it would be a painful one to see out.

There was an Italian saying,non si può avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca, which roughly translated to “you can’t have a full cask and a drunk wife” or in English, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

But it seemed after a lifetime of injustices and heartbreak, I had the opportunity to have exactly that.

I stood there beaming with joy for a few minutes before I thought to look for Mama to tell her the news. I spotted her in the kitchen because, even at a party, that was her domain, but she was backed against the corner of the cabinets by none other than Salvatore, who had stayed with me at the apartment while the younger men went to take care of business. She looked angry as she spoke to him about something, but when he lifted his hand to tuck back a lock of loose barely graying black hair, her entire face softened.

“Uh…” My brother shuddered as he stepped beside me. “Are you watching our mother be seduced?”

It was surreal and a little uncomfortable to know that I was watching his father attempt to seduce his mother, but I didn’t say anything because I understood it wasn’t my place to.

For now, I smacked him in the chest. “Now who’s the prude?”

He grinned at me, slinging an arm around my shoulders to pull me in close. “Not you anymore. You seem much more relaxed than ever before. I’ll have to buy Dante a bottle of whiskey to thank him for the attitude adjustment.”

“Hey!” I protested, but I did it laughing because he loved to tease, and I was finally comfortable enough with myself to take it. “You’re disgusting.”

He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”

My phone buzzed where I’d tucked it into the pocket of my black Prada wrap dress.

“Excuse me a moment,” I murmured as I pulled it out to see Bambi’s name on the screen.

“Bambi?” I answered, moving away from Sebastian out onto the patio so I could hear her better. “I thought you and Aurora would be here already.”

“Lena, I’m scared,” came a frightened whisper. “I did what you said and met with your friend Tilda when you were gone. She helped me get a restraining order against the man I told you about, but he won’t leave me alone.”

Everything in me stilled. “It’s not Marco?” He was still in the hospital in the long-term care ward getting rehabilitation because one of the bullets had shattered his femur.

“No!” she cried. “Marco would never hurt me. But I’m beside myself. I don’t think there is any way we can stay here and be safe. I have to go.”

“Go where?” I demanded, cupping the phone to my cheek as I left the cold patio and returned inside, powering through the party to the foyer. I used the code to open the lockbox for the car keys and grab the set for the Ferrari. “Listen, Bambi, I’m going to come to you, okay? I’ll pick you and Rora up and bring you to our house. Pack enough for a long stay. We can figure this out as a family,va bene?”

She burst into noisy tears through the phone.

Cazzo.

“Bambi? Bambi, listen, I’m coming. Don’t freak out, and do not leave. Where is Rora? Don’t startle her, okay? I’ll be there in ten minutes.” I hung up on her wails, hoping that she would try to calm down for Rora’s sake at least.

I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the garage. As the doors closed, I saw Tore spot me from the kitchen, his face a stern mask.

I texted him while I descended, letting him know where I was going.