Fear spikes through me at the thought. "I understand."
"Do you?" Dom leans forward. "Because Luca Monti isn't worth risking everything we've built for you and those kids. Whatever history you two had, and don't think I didn't notice how you avoided my eyes when I mentioned him, it needs to stay buried. For everyone's safety."
I nod, even as I don’t know how I’ll be able to comply.
My heart is engaged in a tug-of-war, one side pulling me toward Luca and the other trying to protect me by pulling me away.
LUCA
I drive away from Elena's house, the scent of her still clinging to my skin.
Seven years I spent trying to forget her, and one night back in her arms erases all that wasted time like it never happened.
Waking up beside her this morning felt like coming home, the soft morning light across her face, her hair spilled across the pillow.
I almost called my father to cancel brunch.
I wanted to stay there, to make her breakfast, to be there when the kids returned. To start building something real.
But duty calls. It always does in this life.
I arrive at my father’s house, the place where I grew up, the place that will be mine someday.
It’s surreal to think about. Don Luca Monti.
As a kid, I used to pretend to be the Don the way other kids might pretend to be a fireman or the president. But now it’s on the verge of becoming real.
I head upstairs to shower and change.
Water cascades over me, washing away the night but not the memory of Elena's touch.
I dress in dark slacks and a crisp shirt, but no tie or jacket. This is a family meal, at least to start.
I look at myself in the mirror wondering if the man staring back is truly ready to be Don.
My eyes are harder and don’t hide the responsibility I feel right now. But a part of me is still here.
Elena called me romantic.
I’ve always been a man to wear my heart on my sleeve, whether it was warm toward her and family or cold, exacting revenge or payback.
Yes, I can do the job.
Today, I'll tell my father it's time to step down. Today, I'll take on the mantle I've been groomed for since birth. Today, I become Don Monti in all but name.
And somehow, in the midst of all this, I need to clear my name, protect Elena and her children, and maybe, if I'm lucky, build the family I've always wanted with the only woman I've ever loved.
I take a deep breath and head downstairs to face my future.
I descend the stairs just as the front door opens, Marco and Gabriella stepping through with little Sabina bundled in Gabriella’s arms.
My sister's face lights up when she sees me, her smile genuine despite the magnitude of what we're about to do.
"Looking more and more like a Don everyday," Gabriella says, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek.
Marco nods at me, his eyes communicating a silent question about my readiness for today's conversation.
I give him a subtle nod back.
