Their acceptance meant more than I expected.
"You look like you're solving a case," Dom says, interrupting my thoughts.
"Just realizing how much the Bureau gets wrong about your world," I admit. "Especially about the women."
What strikes me most is how their values mirror my own.
We all believe in protecting family at any cost.
The difference is in our methods, not our motivations. Family above all. Justice for those we love. Protection of the innocent.
Perhaps Dom was right all along. The line between us was never as wide as I believed.
"Ready?" Dom asks now, handing me my coat.
I take a deep breath and nod. Today, I step fully into my new life, not as Agent Ricci, but as Olivia, future wife of Don Dominic Vitale.
Don Ferraza's mansion is something straight out of a holiday movie.
A grand marble staircase wrapped in garlands, crystal chandeliers draped with delicate silver snowflakes, and a Christmas tree that must be twenty feet tall dominating the main hall.
The scent of cookies and mulled wine fills the air, mingling with the sound of a string quartet playing traditional carols.
I expected formality and tension. Instead, I find warmth.
"You made it!" Elena rushes over, baby Gianna on her hip. She kisses my cheek before whispering, "Dom told us your news. Twins! I'm so excited for you both."
Before I can respond, Rocco, Elio, and Adalina swarm around us, chattering about Santa and presents.
Rocco tugs at my hand. "You saved me from the bad man last year.”
"I did," I say, crouching to his level. "I helped find you."
“You’re like a superhero.”
I laugh. "Well, I don’t know about that.”
Dom rests his hand on my shoulder. "I do.”
Marco Calabresi approaches with his wife Gabriella, their daughter Sabina nestled in her arms. I tense slightly. Only Roman is more skeptical about my place in their world.
"Merry Christmas, Olivia," he says, surprising me with his warmth.
“Merry Christmas.”
Gabriella winks at me. "Those Vitale genes, eh? It’s not enough to have one baby, you have to have two or three at a time.”
I laugh.
Across the room, Roman stands with Isabella, his arm protectively around her waist as she laughs with Leonardo Ferraza.
Their daughter Angelica is showing something to Isabella's father, who listens with exaggerated interest. Their son Leo is on the floor next to them enthralled with a train set.
Luca and Gabriella’s father, Antonio Monti sits with Luca. His eyes are bright, taking in the joy of the season.
“He doesn’t know any of us anymore,” Gabriella says with sadness. “But he still enjoys being with us.”
Not long ago, I looked at all these people as criminals to be brought down.
