Chapter 10 - THE MORETTI LEGACY
One year later.
The sun was setting over the private vineyard behind our estate in Lake Forest, casting a warm, golden glow over the long wooden dining table set up under the fairy lights.
It was our wedding day.
We had chosen to have an intimate, private ceremony right in our backyard—no press, no corporate executives, no grandstanding. Just our closest friends, Marcus, Luca’s mother, and our two beautiful children.
I wore a stunning, floor-length ivory silk gown with delicate lace sleeves, my hair styled in soft waves with white orchids pinned behind my ear. Luca stood at the head of the table in a navy bespoke tuxedo, looking like a king who had finally claimed his true throne.
Leo, wearing a matching tiny tuxedo, was sitting beside Maya, who looked like a little princess in her white flower-girl dress.
"A toast!" Marcus announced, standing up and raising his champagne glass. "To Luca and Nia. A love story that survived lies, bullets, seven years of separation, and two very chaotic seven-year-olds!"
Everyone laughed and cheered, clinking their glasses together.
Luca stood up, holding his glass, his eyes fixing entirely on me.
"Seven years ago," Luca spoke, his voice rich and full of warmth, "I thought success meant building the tallest buildings in Chicago and adding zeroes to my bank account. I thought I was strong because I never lost a deal."
He walked around the table, stopping beside my chair, offering his hand to me. I stood up, taking his hand, and stepped into his embrace.
"I was wrong," Luca continued, looking into my eyes. "True strength isn't about power. It’s about fighting for the people you love. Nia, you gave me the greatest gift a man could ever dream of—our children, and a second chance at real love. I promise to cherish you, protect you, and honor you for every single day I have left on this earth."
The small crowd applauded warmly, tears shining in Rosa’s eyes.
Leo ran over, tugging on Luca's suit jacket. "Dad! Can we open the wedding cake now? Maya is trying to steal the chocolate strawberries!"
"Hey! I am not!" Maya protested, running over and grabbing my hand.
Luca laughed, picking up both kids in his arms effortlessly, kissing Leo’s cheek and then Maya’s nose as they giggled hysterically.
"Cake time it is," Luca announced, looking over their heads at me with a soft, breathtaking smile. "What do you think, Mrs. Moretti?"
May you like
"I think," I said, stepping closer and kissing his cheek, then kissing my children's foreheads, "that we have everything we will ever need."
As the stars began to twinkle in the clear Chicago sky, surrounded by the laughter of our children and the warmth of a love that had defied every obstacle, I knew that the pain of our past was finally gone. We weren't just surviving anymore. We were home.
