Page 35 of Taken By the Enforcer

I look down at Cosima, tiny lips parted in sleep and know one thing for certain: I would walk through fire to keep her safe. And Donatello—God help him—so would he.

When I lift my gaze to him, he’s already watching me,eyes molten, unreadable. His hand tightens just slightly on my shoulder. Possession. Protection. Love.

And in that moment, with everyone gathered, I feel the shift—the old life closing, the new one sealing around me like a favorite blanket.

Surprise hits me again when Donatello quiets everyone, takes my hand, and drops to one knee. He raises a black velvet box. The top pops open to reveal a stunning diamond ring. My eyes widen.

He clears his throat.

“Paolina.” His voice is low but strong, carrying to every corner of the room. “I took you. I claimed you before you understood what it meant. But I have no regrets—not for one moment—because it brought me here. To this. To you. Toher.” His gaze flicks to our daughter, then returns to me, molten with intensity. “You and Cosima are my life. My future. My everything. And I want the world to know you are mine—not just by my word, not just by our child, but by choice. By vow. By love.”

The diamond catches the light, scattering rainbows across the walls. My chest tightens until I can barely breathe.

My father shifts, stiff and silent, but no protest escapes him. He knows better than to interrupt. My mother clasps her hands, eyes shining. Faustino and Marcello exchange a glance, both amused and approving. Donatello’s parents watch with quiet pride. Lucca gives a slow, solemn nod.

Inside, my thoughts spin.Kidnapped. Possessed. Protected. Desired. And now… this. Marriage. Permanence. A lifetime bound to a man who tempts me and softens me in ways I never thought possible.

Donatello’s thumb strokes across the back of my hand, grounding me. “Say yes,bella mia.Make me whole.”

My heart pounds. My throat is dry. Everyone is waiting. But all I can see is him—this lethal man kneeling in front of me with a diamond and a promise, his eyes stripped of every mask but love.

A sob catches in my chest. “Yes,” I whisper, tears spilling. “Yes,amore mio.”

The room exhales. Applause, murmurs, congratulations ripple around us, but Donatello doesn’t hear them. He slides the ring onto my finger, rises, and captures my mouth in a kiss that silences everything else.

When he pulls back, his lips brush mine with a vow only I can hear: “Forever, Paolina. You’ll never run again.”

At last, I don’t want to.

Donatello

The diamond settleson her finger as if forged there. Her whisper ofyesstill vibrates in my chest, louder than any oath I’ve ever sworn to my brothers.

The room erupts in polite applause, murmured blessings, forced smiles. I don’t give a damn. None of them matter. Not Marcello with his smirk, not Faustino with his quiet nod, not my father’s measured approval or her father’s thin-lipped fury. Nor Lucca, Ludo, and Flavio’s confirmation. The only thing that matters is the woman in front of me—my woman—wearing my ring, holding my child, finally saying yes.

I kiss her, slow and claiming, ignoring the crowd. When I pull back, her lips are swollen, her eyes glassy, her breath caught.Mine.

Triumph rolls through me, sharp and hot. They all saw it. Every one of them. The Corsetti girl, the runaway bride, the woman they thought would shame us—she is here, bearing my name with my heir, agreeing to be mine in front of every witness that counts. No man will ever question it again.

But deeper than the triumph is something I don’t let anyone see. Relief. Gratitude. The way my chest eases hearing her speak the words I’ve waited for.

Still, possession threads through it. I lean close, my mouth brushing her ear so only she hears. “Forever, Paolina. You’ll never run again.”

She trembles, but she doesn’t pull away.

I turn back to the room, my arm circling her shoulders. “She’s mine,” I announce, voice carrying like a decree. “My fiancée. My family.”

And as I look down at her with Cosima swaddled ather breast, I vow again: I’ll destroy the world before I let either of them bleed.

Forever starts now.

CHAPTER 13

3Months Later

Paolina

A year ago,I was standing in tulle I didn’t want, veil heavy on my head, about to walk toward a man who betrayed me with my so-called best friend. A year ago, I was nothing but a pawn in my father’s game, a Corsetti daughter handed off to Aldo Buratti like I was property.