I froze. I can’t believe she came to me. This was the first time she contacted me first.
I buzzed her in.
The elevator opened into my penthouse. When she stepped in it was like she was someone I was supposed to never see again because I hadn’t earned the right.
She didn’t speak at first. Just stood there, framed by the city lights bleeding through the windows behind me. Her coat was damp from the rain. Her hair was pulled back, but strands had come loose.
Her eyes swept the space. The concrete floors. The bourbon bottle. The untouched food on the counter. The gun in my hand, then me.
“You look like shit.”
Her voice was steady, but her fingers trembled as she unbuttoned her coat.
I didn’t answer, not at first. I couldn’t. I was stunned that she was standing in my living room. She draped the coat across the back of the couch. Underneath, she wore a black sweater that clung to her, jeans, and a basic pair of white sneakers.
“Lorenzo’s got me doing extra shit,” I said, after I got over my shock. “Picking up Dante’s slack.”
“If this is a bad time, I can come back later.”
“You know I’ll make time for you, Sera. Have a seat. You want something to drink?”
She shook her head. “No.”
She sat down and I took the seat beside her, placing the gun on the coffee table. “You wanted to talk?”
“I shouldn’t be here,” she said, softer now. “But I couldn’t sleep. And I kept thinking about our talk. And I got a call from my sister right before I got here.”
She arched her brow like she knew I had something to do with it, but I wasn’t going to admit to anything. It was a miracle to get Phoenix on my side, but if she didn’t believe I loved Seraphina, she wouldn’t have agreed to help me.
“I meant every word, Sera.”
“I know you did.”
“And?”
She looked at me like she couldn’t decide if I was still the man she loved and if she could give us another chance. I braced myself for her to walk away for good. Shit just never worked out for me even though I prayed this time it was different.
“I want you to know that I love you.”
My heart dropped to my gut. She was walking away.
I leaned back in the chair, my heart breaking every second. “But…”
My breath caught like I’d been sucker-punched. I knew she still loved me but sometimes love just wasn’t enough.
“I want you,” Her fingers curled around mine. “But I want us to be different this time. We can’t go through the same stuff, Sergio, because I promise this is the last chance you get to make this work. This is it.”
I nodded so fast it was like I couldn’t say yes fast enough. “We will be. I’ll make damn sure of it. I promise.”
“Don’t make me anymore promises, Sergio. Just do it.”
“I can do that.”
I pulled her into my embrace causing her to giggle. I kissed her temple then the corner of her lips.
“You came back,” I whispered. “Thank you for fucking coming back.”
I’d thought about this moment for a long fucking time. And for the first time in a long time, my life as the Puglisi enforcer didn’t matter. The silence didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was here with me, and that changed every fucking thing.
