Page 34 of Taken By the Enforcer

I’m rushed onto a bed, wheeled through double doors, nurses swarming. Donatello never lets go of my hand. Faustino and Marcello follow close, emanating power at the threshold. Our parents remain outside, the weight of their worlds pressing against the glass. Guards block the hallway and stand at my door.

Inside, the pain rips me apart. Sweat blinds me. My screams echo off tile. Even so, he’s there—Donatello, bending close, voice low and fierce: “Breathe,amore. Push when they tell you. I’m here. I won’t leave. Not ever.”

Hours blur. Pain, pushing, tears. Then—the cry. Piercing. Strong.

Our baby girl.

They place her on my chest—tiny, warm, perfect. My body shakes with sobs I can’t control.

Donatello bends, his forehead against mine, his voice raw. “Nostra figlia.Our daughter.” His hand trembles as it cups her head. “Ti amo, bella mia.”

The world tilts. Donatello Romano loves me.

“Ti amo, amore mio,” I murmur thickly.

“Grazie a Dio.”

The smile he gives me shines brighter than Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

For the first time, I don’t think about running. There’s no doubt in my mind. We’re staying.

The decision settles over me like a cloak I didn’t realize I’d been wearing all along. No running. No escape plan humming at the edges of my thoughts. Just here—this man, this child, this family that is ours whether I wanted it.

The room smells of antiseptic and lavender. My body feels emptied, wrecked, yet filled at the same time with something fierce and new.

Cosima. Our daughter.

The nurses lift her gently from my chest to clean her, weigh her, check every detail.

Donatello never leaves her side. He watches with apredator’s focus, as if daring anyone to falter. When they swaddle her, his enormous hands are the first to cradle her.

I blink through tears as he stands over her, his dark head bowed close. The enforcer everyone fears… holding a newborn like she’s made of spun glass.

“Cosima,” he whispers. “Order. Beauty.” His voice cracks on the word beauty, a sound I never thought I’d hear from him.

I want to reach for them both, but I can’t move, not yet. My body is too heavy, too raw. A nurse helps me into a fresh silk nightgown, the pale fabric cool against my overheated skin.

Another gently brushes my hair, pulling it back from my damp face. I should feel like porcelain being arranged, but for once I don’t mind. I want to look… assured. Confident of our family. Our love.

When I’m settled against pillows, Donatello lifts Cosima and crosses to me. He places her in my arms once more, then turns to the doorway. “Bring them in.”

The door opens, and the families file inside.

My mother gasps softly, tears shining. My father follows, jaw clenched, his silence louder than any curse. Donatello’s parents enter, his father grim but approving, his mother smiling faintly at our baby. Faustino and Marcello stand beside their brother.

I’m surprised when Boss Lucca Lucchese enters, flanked by his twin and Underboss Ludovico and theiradopted brother, Consigliere Flavio. Their presence is its own seal of approval, and my heart swells with quiet joy.

Donatello stands tall at the bedside, one hand on my shoulder, the other resting lightly on our daughter’s blanket. His voice carries deep and certain.

“Her name is Cosima Romano.Cosima—for order, for beauty. She carries both in her blood. She is ours.”

The words are both announcement and decree.

For a breath, the room is silent. Then congratulations ripple through: Donatello’s mother kisses my cheeks, murmuring blessings; Faustino grips my shoulder, steady and warm; Marcello smirks but his eyes soften. My mother touches my hand, whispering, “Bellissima, tesoro.She’s perfect.”

My father lingers back, eyes hard. Anger coils within him. I can see it, but he says nothing. Not here. Not now. He knows better than to challenge Donatello at this moment, when all power radiates from him like heat. Not to mention the imposing presence of the head of the Family.

Inside, my emotions swirl. Pride. Relief. Love that hurts. Fear of what it means to belong so wholly to this man and this Family now.