I don't want to be saved.
Not from Alex, not from the darkness we've found together, not from the woman I've become in his arms. Emma Pitt would have taken the money and run. Frances Hewson never existed. But Emma Rosetti: she's who I choose to become, not who I was forced to be.
I turn the car around.
The Mercedes responds instantly, carrying me back toward the city that almost let me go. Each mile closer feels like coming home, not to a place but to a person who's somehow become my whole universe. The weight that's been crushing my chest since he handed me that envelope finally lifts.
By the time I reach the compound, full darkness has fallen. I don't go to his study or our bedroom. I know exactly where Alessandro will be when his world is ending: the one place that's become ours alone.
The rooftop observatory glows softly in the night, and there he is. Not looking at the empty telescope stand, but lying on his back on our blanket, staring at the sky.
"You came back." His voice carries no surprise, only quiet wonder.
"Yes." I lie down beside him, close but not touching.
"Tell me why." He turns his head to look at me, those green eyes reflecting starlight. "Tell me what made you choose this instead of freedom."
I point up at Cassiopeia, tracing her distinctive W shape against the darkness. "Remember what I told you about her? Punished for vanity, forced to circle the sky forever?"
"I remember everything you've told me."
"I was wrong about her punishment," I continue, finding Perseus next. "She's not trapped up there. She's reigning. Every night, she rules her portion of the sky, immortal and untouchable. That's not a punishment; it's power."
Alex stays silent, letting me work through my thoughts.
"Emma Pitt was invisible," I say. "Frances Hewson was a lie. But Emma Rosetti?" I turn to face him fully. "She's real. She's who I choose to be. Not because anyone forced me or threatened me or backed me into a corner. But because she's who I become when I'm with you. Someone who isn't afraid of the darkness because she helps create it."
"Emma," he breathes, reaching for me, then stopping himself.
"You can touch me now," I whisper.
His hand finds my face with infinite gentleness, thumb brushing away tears. "I would have understood if you ran. If you waited for Tommy somewhere safe."
"Safe," I laugh softly. "When have I ever chosen safe? I married you, didn't I?"
His own laugh rumbles through his chest. "That was hardly a choice initially."
"No," I agree. "But every day since has been. Every time I stayed instead of trying to run. Every time I kissed you back. Every time I chose to learn your world instead of hiding from it." I press my palm over his heart, feeling it race beneath my touch.
Alex pulls me against him with sudden urgency, like he's afraid I might dissolve into stardust if he doesn't hold tight enough. "This life, this violence, it only gets darker from here."
"Good." The word surprises us both with its vehemence. "I'm tired of being innocent. Of being protected. Of being the one who needs saving." I pull back to meet his eyes. "I'm done being the innocent one, Alex. When darkness comes for us, I won't hide behind you anymore. When violence is necessary, I won't look away."
"Jesus, Emma." His voice drops to that dangerous register that used to terrify me. Now it just makes my pulse quicken with anticipation. "You aren't the girl you used to be, are you?"
"Yes, I am," I correct, tracing the scar through his eyebrow. "I finally feel like myself."
His mouth crashes into mine with desperate hunger. I taste his relief, sweet and sharp. His hands tangle in my hair, pulling just hard enough to make me gasp, reminding me that even in surrender, he's still dangerous. My body responds instantly, pressing against him as heat pools between my thighs. My body burns for his touch like an addiction I'll never quit.
"Rosetti," he growls against my throat, and I feel his cock harden against my stomach.
"Rosetti," I agree, then bite his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.
When we break apart, both breathing hard, the stars wheel overhead in their eternal dance. Perseus and Andromeda,forever circling, forever together, a love story written in light and shadow across the universe.
I deliberately twist my wedding ring, the one that once felt like a shackle. Now it feels like armor, like power, like a promise of the empire we'll build together. "Though technically, I suppose I'm still Emma Pitt according to that passport you gave me. And since you married some bitch called Frances Hewson."
"Not for long," he growls, pulling me back for another kiss. "Tomorrow we annul the old marriage and make it real. Legal. Emma Rosetti on every document, every account, every piece of paper in the city."
