Page 30

Nine months. It’s been nine months since my life flipped itself over and since the shadows of my past were dragged into the light. Don Carlos was locked away and sentenced to three consecutive life terms. Sergio, against all odds, had managed to pull most of the business into something respectable—well, as respectable as it gets in a world like ours. A world where “clean” and “safe” didn’t mean innocent. But we kept it as safe as we could, for us, for Alex, and for the future.

Enzo still liked to remind me of his “heroic near-death experience” every chance he got, dramatically clutching his side where the bullet had grazed him. He’d healed well, though I suspected the dramatics were for Dahlia’s benefit more than anything. Dahlia, of course, rolled her eyes but played along. Some things never change.

Tonight, though, none of that mattered. For once, the weight of our lives—the danger, the scars—felt far away. Sergio had planned something, something so out of character it made me nervous. He’d been tight-lipped about it for days, only dropping hints with that insufferable half-smile of his.

“Trust me, Mirella,” he’d said earlier that morning. “You’re going to love it.”

And somehow, I did.

The restaurant he brought me to overlooked the bay. It was quiet and intimate, the kind of place where the world seemed to pause just for you. I sat there, watching him across the table as he smiled at me like he held the secret to everything.

“Stop looking at me like that,” I muttered, fiddling with the stem of my wine glass.

“Like what?”

“Like you know something I don’t.”

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe I do.”

Typical. He’s always leaving me guessing.

It wasn’t until dessert came that I noticed something odd. One by one, people began trickling in—Enzo, Dahlia, my father, even Alex holding Ryan’s hand. I blinked, confused, as I watched them take their places around us, their faces full of anticipation.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

And then Sergio stood, his chair scraping softly against the stone patio. My heart caught in my throat as he walked toward me, pulling something from his pocket.

Oh no.

Oh yes.

He stopped right in front of me, his dark eyes warm and steady as they met mine. Slowly, he sank to one knee.

“Mirella,” he said, his voice rich and calm, though I could see his fingers tremble ever so slightly. “From the moment you stormed back into my life, I knew I’d never be the same. You are strength and fire, stubbornness and grace, and everything I didn’t know I needed.”

The tears were already burning my eyes, and my hand shot up to cover my mouth.

He pulled open a small velvet box, revealing a ring so beautiful it took my breath away. “Mirella, will you marry me?”

It wasn’t the ring or the words that undid me. It was the look on his face—hopeful, certain, and so full of love it knocked down every wall I’d ever built.

I nodded quickly, tears spilling as I laughed through the sobs. “Yes, Sergio. Yes, of course!”

He slid the ring onto my finger, and when he stood to pull me into his arms, the world disappeared. I didn’t hear the applause or Enzo’s whistling. All I felt was Sergio, his arms steady around me and his heartbeat against mine.

For the first time in forever, I let myself believe it. This was real. And it was ours.

The day of the wedding was surreal. It felt like something out of a dream, or maybe even a movie, one where everything was perfect and nothing could go wrong. My father walked me down the aisle, his arm firm and steady under mine. He looked at me with so much pride as though I had somehow become the woman he always hoped I would be. I hadn’t always felt like that in his eyes, but today, for this moment, I saw it—his love, his forgiveness, and his hope for my future.

Ryan stood at the front, his face radiating joy for us. Dahlia, Enzo, and Alex all gathered beside him, each one playing a part in the beauty of the day. I could hardly believe it was happening. The people who mattered most were here, supporting us and witnessing the start of a new chapter. The moment felt sacred and as if everything I had been through—everything we had survived—led to this one perfect second.

Sergio waited for me at the altar, his eyes focused on mine as I walked toward him. The world seemed to fade away as I looked at him. I thought of everything we had overcome, the secrets we had kept, the masks we wore, the lies and the truth. But most of all, I thought about how he had saved me—not just once, but countless times. Today, in this moment, we were finally standing here together, ready to say the words that would change everything.

I reached him, and he took my hands in his, the warmth of his touch grounding me. There was a tenderness in his eyes, a love that had grown over the years through the good and the bad. I felt it in my chest, swelling up until I couldn’t breathe.

We were both nervous, I could tell. But I could also see the calm behind his nerves—the quiet confidence that we were making the right decision. The vows, however, were not what I expected.

Sergio stood tall, his voice unwavering as he began. “Mirella, from the moment I met you, I knew you were special. You were the girl I helped when you were stuck in a tree, and I was the boy who couldn’t get you out fast enough. I’ve loved you since then, and I love you still. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved, the one I’ll always love, no matter what.”

My heart clenched. His words were like a balm to my soul, healing everything that had been broken. He had loved me for so long, even when I didn’t know it.

Sergio paused for a moment, his eyes glistening. “I would do anything for you. And that’s how I know what we have is real. What we have is something that will never die, no matter what life throws at us.”

I was crying now, my face wet with tears, but it didn’t matter. Because the truth was there in the rawness of his words. He had done more than just take a bullet for me. He had given me a love I didn’t know I deserved, a love that had always been there, even when we were on opposite sides.

When it was my turn to speak, I looked at him, feeling the weight of everything I wanted to say but couldn’t find the words for. Instead, I began with the truth.

“People always joke about taking a bullet for someone. It’s something you hear all the time, but I’ve learned that it’s not just a joke. Sergio actually did it. He literally took a bullet for me, and that’s when I knew I had fallen in love with him. But you know, that wasn’t the first time. The first time I fell in love with him was when I was stuck in that tree. I didn’t know who he was, but I knew I’d never forget him. Little did I know, the boy who helped me was the same man who would later risk everything for me.”

I wiped my eyes and took a shaky breath. “And even though he wore a mask—literally and figuratively—I always gravitated toward him. I knew he was the one. He was the only one who would ever understand me, and he did. He always has.”

The words felt so small compared to the enormity of what I was trying to express. But I knew that no matter how much I tried to explain, it wouldn’t capture the depth of what I felt. Because what Sergio had given me was a love that didn’t need words. It was in every action, every sacrifice, and every smile.

“I’ve lied to you, too,” I continued, my voice quieter now. “I realized that no matter how much I tried to protect you or hide from you, you were always the one I was meant to be with. And I trust you now. I’ve always trusted you, even when I didn’t want to admit it.”

By the time I finished, we were both in tears. The crowd around us was silent, except for the soft sniffles coming from Dahlia and Alex.

All that mattered was that Sergio and I were here, finally free of the masks, the lies, and the distance.

The priest looked at us, his voice calm. “Mirella, Sergio, do you take each other to be your lawfully wedded husband and wife, to love and cherish, in good times and bad, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” we both said in perfect harmony.

The moment the words left my lips, I felt like the world shifted. There was no more doubt. No more fear. Just love.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest said with a smile, and the next words I heard were followed by a wave of joy that washed over me. “You may kiss the bride.”

Sergio leaned in with a smile, and his lips met mine, his hands resting on the small of my back, gently pulling me in. I drowned in his touch and the taste of him. He tasted like cherries. And in that kiss, everything we had been through—the pain, the struggle, the heartache—melted away. It was just us. Just love. We were finally free.

As we pulled away, I saw Sergio’s smile, and I couldn’t help but laugh through my tears. “We did it,” I whispered.

“We did,” he whispered back.

And from that moment on, I knew there was no going back. We had each other. We were home. And we were going to live happily ever after together as ONE.

THE END.