Chapter 5 - The Aftermath
The rain washed the blood from the stone driveways of the DeLuca estate before the sun rose the next morning.
By noon, there was no trace left of the violent assault that had occurred hours earlier. The breached fences were repaired, the study doors were replaced with fresh oak, and the news reports made no mention of the midnight battle—only that Dominic Moretti had mysteriously vanished along with his top lieutenants.
The Moretti syndicate collapsed within forty-eight hours, its remaining members fleeing the state or swearing allegiance to Carmine.
In the master suite on the third floor, peace returned.
Ivy sat on the plush velvet sofa in the sitting room, wrapped in a warm wool blanket, watching the rain trickle down the windowpanes. The bruises on her throat had faded to faint yellow shadows, and her split lip was entirely healed.
The heavy mahogany doors opened, and Carmine stepped into the room.
He looked tired, but the tension that had plagued his shoulders for months seemed to have vanished completely. He carried two crystal glasses and a bottle of expensive wine.
He set the glasses on the table, poured the deep red liquid, and handed one to her.
“The city is quiet,” Carmine said, sitting beside her on the sofa. “The threats are gone. All of them.”
Ivy took a small sip of wine, looking at him over the rim of the glass. “And what about us?”
Carmine set his glass down, turning his body to face her.
“That depends on what you want, Ivy,” Carmine said softly. “Your debts are paid. Your mother’s care is secured for life at a top facility in Boston—I had Gideon arrange that yesterday. You have enough money in your personal account to buy that bakery downtown twice over.”
Ivy stared at him, her heart skipping a beat. “You’re giving me my freedom?”
“I am giving you choices,” Carmine corrected, his voice dropping into a tender, vulnerable whisper. “I promised I would protect you. I never intended to make you a prisoner in my world.”
He reached out, taking her hand softly in his.
“If you want to leave,” Carmine continued, looking into her eyes with absolute honesty, “I will buy you a house anywhere in the world. You can start your bakery. You can live a peaceful, quiet life far away from blood and guns.”
He paused, a dark knot of emotion tightening in his throat.
“And if I want to stay?” Ivy asked softly.
Carmine’s breath hitched. “If you stay... you stay as the queen of this house. Not a maid. Not a secret. My partner. My wife.”
Ivy looked at the powerful man who had built an empire through fear, but who now stood completely exposed before her, offering his heart with total surrender.
She set her glass on the table, reached up, and placed her hands on either side of his strong jaw.
“I spent my whole life feeling invisible, Carmine,” Ivy whispered, tears shining in her eyes. “I was afraid of the dark, afraid of the future, afraid of people like you. But in your house... in your arms... I found the only place I ever felt truly seen.”
May you like
She leaned forward, pressing her lips gently against his.
Carmine groaned softly, wrapping his strong arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest, deepening the kiss with a fiery, passionate hunger that burned away every lingering shadow of her past.
