Page 39

VALENTINA

L eo murmurs in his sleep, soft and incoherent. I only catch fragments. “Dad,” he mumbles, his small hands twitching against the blanket.

By the window, I trace the outline of the dimly lit roads. They stretch and twist into the distance, like veins leading back to the estate. Luca’s estate. Is he pacing those halls now, as furious as he was when he left? Is he ripping into his men, hunting answers?

The black coffee in my flask is bitter and cold, but I drink it anyway. It keeps me grounded, even as my mind races.

“Mommy?”

My head snaps toward Leo. His eyes are closed, but his small chest rises and falls steadily. I crouch beside him, resting my hand lightly on his chest. I’m here, baby. I’m not going anywhere .

Not anymore.

I’ve had it with the running, the hiding, the constant fear of shadows. This is my life. I chose it—twice. The first time, for survival. The second, for love.

Leo will have both parents. He’ll grow up powerful, unshakable. The world won’t swallow him whole the way it tried to swallow me.

A sudden knock breaks the stillness. Rat-tat-tat.

I freeze, my body taut with instinct. Luca’s words echo in my mind. Let no one in unless you hear my voice. Say nothing.

I hold my breath, listening for the knock again.

“It’s me.”

The tension in my chest releases, leaving me momentarily weak. Luca.

The knock at the door is soft but insistent.

I freeze where I’m standing, the cool air from the window brushing against my skin.

My heart thrums in my chest as I glance at Leo, still fast asleep, his tiny chest rising and falling with the peaceful rhythm of a child untouched by the storm that’s brewing.

“It’s me.”

Luca’s voice, rough, familiar, and cutting through the silence like a blade. My chest tightens, every part of me drawn to that sound despite the tumult roaring in my mind.

I walk to the door quietly, my bare feet padding against the floor. My hand hovers over the lock for a second too long.

Luca knocks again, this time more firmly. “Valentina.”

I unlatch the door, pulling it open just enough to see him. His broad frame fills the dim hallway, and his eyes hold a weight that roots me to the spot. He looks exhausted, the lines on his face deeper than I remember, his shoulders tense as if he’s carrying the world.

“Can I come in?” he asks, his tone gentler now, almost hesitant.

I step aside, opening the door fully, and he walks in, his presence immediately taking up all the space in the room.

Luca glances at Leo, then at me, his gaze softening for the briefest moment before hardening again. He waits for me to close the door, then runs a hand through his disheveled hair.

“We need to talk,” he says, his voice low but steady.

I cross my arms over my chest, leaning back against the wall. “You made that clear when you showed up here in the middle of the night.”

His lips press into a thin line, but he doesn’t snap back like I expect. Instead, he takes a deep breath, as if steadying himself.

“Your father died for me,” he says suddenly.

“What?” The word tumbles out of me, more breath than sound.

He steps closer, but I hold up a hand, keeping him at a distance. My legs feel unsteady, and I move toward the small chair near the window, sinking into it before I collapse.

Luca stays where he is, his hands clenched at his sides. “I need you to listen to me, Valentina. Your father wasn’t some broken gambler. He wasn’t just running from debts. He was working with us—for us—for me.”

My mind spins, my vision narrowing on him. “What are you talking about? Working with you on what?”

He drags a hand down his face, pacing a short line near the foot of the bed.

“Antonio believed in what we were trying to do—what I’m still trying to do.

He helped us plan ways to take the power and money we’ve built and funnel it back to the people who’ve been crushed under this city’s weight for decades.

A redistribution, if you want to call it that. He saw a way to fix what we’ve broken.”

“That makes no sense,” I whisper, shaking my head. “He gambled everything away—he ruined us.”

“That was the cover, Valentina. A way to keep the Rossis from looking too closely at what he was doing. But they found out anyway.”

I stand abruptly, my arms dropping to my sides. “Stop. Just stop.”

His voice grows quieter, more measured, as he steps toward me. “They targeted him. Tortured him. Tried to extract information about me and my family. When he wouldn’t break, they killed him.”

I stumble back, hitting the wall behind me. The room feels too small, too suffocating. “You’re lying.”

“I wish I were,” he says, his voice cracking slightly. “But you need to know the truth, Valentina. He didn’t die because of his own demons. He died because he believed in me. Because he believed in something better.”

Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. “And you kept this from me? You let me believe he was nothing but a failure. You let me hate him.”

Luca’s jaw tightens, and he looks away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. “I was afraid.”

“Afraid?” My voice rises, trembling with fury. “Afraid of what?”

“That if you knew the truth, you’d realize the debt I claimed you needed to pay was a lie,” he says, his voice raw. “And that you’d walk away. Nullify the marriage. Leave me.”

I stare at him, my chest heaving. “You lied to me, manipulated me?—”

“Because I love you,” he cuts in, his voice fierce.

“I love you, Valentina. With everything I am. And if it means burning my empire to the ground to keep you and Leo safe, I’ll do it.

If it means walking away from all of it just to be with you, so be it.

I’m not asking for forgiveness,” he says, stepping closer until there’s barely any space between us.

“I’m asking for a chance. A chance to make this right.

To prove that you and Leo are the only things that matter. ”

I close my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks. When I open them, his expression is unreadable, his dark eyes locked on mine.

“Luca…” My voice falters, and he takes my hand.

“There’s something more you should know.”

Luca sits on the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped so tightly they might as well be welded together. His head hangs low, his dark hair falling forward, a picture of restraint barely holding back a storm. “Donna Maria was behind the mishap with the brakes.”

Good grief. I’m standing near the dresser. The silence between us is unbearable, thick enough to choke on, and I feel like I’m waiting for something to detonate.

“I have no words,” I mumble. “I?—

“My mother is a woman of many talents,” he says, “but of late, most of these have become evil. Or perhaps that is who she always was, and I have been too blind to see things.” He pauses, jaw tightening as though the words physically pain him. “Maria has been exiled.”

“What?” The shock in my voice is involuntary, loud in the heavy stillness of the room.

Luca straightens, turning his dark, haunted eyes to me. “I should’ve seen it sooner, Valentina. She manipulated me—controlled me—played her games with you, with Leo, with this family. She was behind so much more than I realized.”

His voice sharpens, anger simmering just beneath the surface. “She orchestrated parts of your suffering, and she did it to maintain her grip on power. To keep you from finding your place here. To keep me in line.”

My stomach twists, a cold weight settling in the pit of my gut. “You knew she didn’t approve of me.”

“She didn’t just disapprove,” he says, standing now, his towering presence as formidable as ever.

“She acted on it. She had people planted in your life, feeding her information. I’ve uncovered things…

” He trails off, shaking his head. “I should’ve protected you from her.

I should’ve questioned her motives years ago, but I was blind. ”

I clutch the back of the chair for support, my legs threatening to give out. “And now? What happens to her?”

“She’s gone,” he says, his voice like a whip. “I sent her away. Permanently. She has no claim here anymore, no control over my family.”

The intensity in his gaze pins me where I stand. “You, Valentina, are my family now. You, Leo, and the empire I’ve built. But I don’t want it to be mine alone. I don’t want another queen filling the void Maria left. I want you.”

I blink, stunned, my pulse hammering in my ears. “What are you saying, Luca?”

His eyes burn into mine, unrelenting, fierce. “I’m saying I want you to be my partner, my equal. The Salvatore Queen. The one person I trust to build this empire with me, side by side.”

I stare at him, my heart in my throat. “You can’t mean?—”

“I mean every word,” he interrupts, his voice unwavering. “I don’t just want a wife, Valentina. I want a matriarch who commands respect, who makes this family stronger. Someone who can stand with me, not behind me.”

The gravity of his words sinks in, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.

“You can’t possibly think I’m cut out for that,” I whisper, my voice shaking.

“I know you are.” His tone is steady, almost reverent. “You’ve faced down killers. You’ve defied me—fought me—like no one else ever has. You’ve built a life for yourself from the ashes, Valentina. That’s a strength I can’t ignore. That’s the strength I need.”

I shake my head, a million emotions surging through me all at once. “Luca, I’m not like you. I can’t be ruthless. I can’t?—”

“You can be anything you choose,” he says firmly. “But you don’t have to change who you are. I’m not asking you to lose yourself. I’m asking you to grow into what you already are—powerful. Resilient. Someone who doesn’t back down.”

I’m shaking now, overwhelmed by the enormity of what he’s saying. “You’ve thought this through?”

“For months,” he admits, his voice softening. “I’ve been wrong so many times, Valentina, but this…this is the one thing I know for certain. I need you—not just in my life, not just in my bed. By my side. Helping me make this empire something more. Something better.”

The intensity of his words leaves me reeling, but there’s something else in his eyes—something raw, vulnerable, and utterly disarming.

“And what about Leo?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Luca reaches for my hand. His grip is warm, grounding. “He’ll have the best life we can give him. Not just power, not just wealth. He’ll have love, Valentina. From both of us.”

I look down at our joined hands, my chest aching with the weight of the moment. “This life…it’s not easy, Luca. It’s dangerous. Chaotic.”

“I know,” he says simply. “But we’ll face it together. And one day, when the time comes, you’ll be the one to lead this family, just as you’ve led our son.”

My breath catches, his words sinking into the deepest parts of me. I don’t know if I can trust him—not fully—but in this moment, I want to believe.

“And if I say no?” I ask, my voice trembling.

He smiles faintly, the expression more bittersweet than I expect. “Then I’ll find a way to convince you. Because I don’t give up on the things I love.”

My heart stutters, and I feel tears prickling at the corners of my eyes.

Luca’s eyes are locked on mine, his breath steady but expectant, his body taut like a bowstring waiting for release.

I’ve never seen him this vulnerable before, not even in the most intimate moments we’ve shared.

For all his power, his control, this—offering me his empire, his trust—feels like the ultimate surrender.

I hesitate, the weight of his words sinking deep into my chest. This isn’t just about us anymore. It’s about Leo, about the future we’ll build. My life has never been easy. I know how to fight. And Luca is offering me a throne—not one built on love and roses, but one forged in fire.

“Yes,” I say, the word falling from my lips like an oath.

His breath hitches, his shoulders softening, relief washing over his face. “Say it again,” he murmurs, stepping closer.

“Yes,” I repeat, louder this time, surer.

Before I can say more, his hands are on my face, pulling me into a kiss that feels like coming home and setting the world ablaze all at once. His lips are soft but insistent, his touch grounding me as I wrap my arms around his neck.

“I’ll prove it to you every day,” he whispers against my lips, his voice raw, breaking. “I’ll show you what we can be together. You, me, Leo—our family.”

I nod, unable to speak as my throat tightens with emotion. His forehead rests against mine, his breath mingling with mine as his hands slip down to my waist, holding me as though I might disappear.

“Valentina,” he says, his voice low and steady. “You’ll never regret this. I swear it.”

I pull back slightly, my fingers brushing his jaw, tracing the strength and the vulnerability etched into his face. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I say softly, though there’s no malice in my words.

“I don’t,” he replies, his tone resolute.

His lips find mine again, and this time, the kiss is slower, more deliberate, a tender claiming that steals my breath. The world outside these four walls ceases to exist—no threats, no rival families, no impossible stakes. Just us.

His arms tighten around me, his hand slipping into my hair, and for a moment, I allow myself to believe that this life—this chaotic, dangerous life—might be worth it.

The moment is shattered by the sharp trill of his phone, cutting through the silence like a knife.

Luca exhales sharply, muttering a curse under his breath as he steps back, his hand reluctantly leaving my waist. He pulls the phone from his pocket, glances at the screen, and his expression hardens.

“It’s Marco,” he says, answering the call.

“What?” His voice is sharp, all traces of tenderness evaporating. “How the hell?—”

He goes silent, his jaw tightening as he listens. My heart sinks, dread curling in my stomach as his expression darkens.

“I’ll be there in ten,” he snaps, ending the call and shoving the phone back into his pocket.

“What’s happening?” I ask, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound calm.

His eyes meet mine, and for a brief second, I see the conflict warring within him—between the man I just shared a promise with and the don who has ruled his world with an iron fist.

“The estate,” he says, his voice grim. “It’s under attack.”