It’s complicated, yes. We’re twenty and thirty-six, running criminal organizations in a world that tries to destroy everything good.
Our marriage is as much about political alliance as it is about love, and the guests applauding our union include people who would probably kill us if it served their interests.
It’s dangerous, absolutely.
The life we’re choosing means constant threats, impossible decisions, and the kind of violence that most people can’t even imagine.
There will be enemies who see our happiness as weakness to exploit and rivals who want to destroy what we’re building together.
But it’s also absolutely perfect. Standing here with Alessandro’s ring on my finger and his love surrounding me, I know with complete certainty that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
This is the life I was meant to choose, the man I was meant to love, the future I was meant to build.
I catch sight of my reflection in one of the cathedral’s mirrors as we walk back down the aisle together, husband and wife, equal partners in love and power.
The woman looking back at me is radiant with joy, strong with purpose, and ready for whatever comes next.
She’s everything I ever wanted to become.
She’s exactly who I was always meant to be.
And she’s just getting started.
EPILOGUE
Bianca
Six months of married life has taught me that having two completely different existences is actually kind of—no,really—exhausting.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’m just another Columbia student rushing across campus with my backpack, ignoring nosy questions, complaining about impossible assignments and stress-eating vending machine cookies between classes.
I sit in lecture halls with kids my age who worry about internships and student loans and whether their crushes will text them back.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I’m the underboss of the DeLuca family, sitting across from men twice my age who’ve spent decades perfecting the art of violence and intimidation.
I make decisions that affect millions of dollars and dozens of lives, coordinate operations that would make headlines if anyone knew they were happening, and command respectthrough a combination of inherited ruthlessness and carefully cultivated fear.
The weird part? Both lives feel completely natural now.
This morning’s classes seem like a lifetime ago as I review territorial expansion reports in Dad’s study, my wedding ring catching the afternoon light as I turn pages.
The numbers are good—better than good, actually. The complete alliance between our families has created opportunities neither of us could have achieved alone, and our combined territories now stretch from Boston to Philadelphia.
“The waterfront consolidation is ahead of schedule,” I tell Alessandro, who’s sprawled in the leather chair across from Dad’s desk, his shirt sleeves rolled up and his hair slightly mussed from running his hands through it. Even after six months of marriage, the sight of him still makes my stomach do these stupid little flips.
“Siobhan’s people have been incredibly efficient,” he agrees, glancing up from his own tablet. “I think she’s enjoying having legitimate reasons to eliminate her competition.”
I snort. “She texted me yesterday asking if we had any other ‘problem families’ she could help us with. I think she’s getting bored with regular business operations.”
“God help us all,” Dad mutters from behind his own stack of paperwork, but he’s smiling. The relationship between him and Alessandro has never been better.
They’ve always been friendly to each other since they were allies, but now they have a shared purpose: to protect me.
It’s actually kind of sweet, watching them bond over their need to worry about my safety constantly.
The study door bursts open with the force of a small hurricane, and Giovanni and Arianna come barreling in at full speed, their faces bright with mischief.
“Banca! Banca!” Arianna shrieks, launching herself at my legs with the kind of enthusiasm that would knock down anyone who wasn’t expecting it.
