My answer came without hesitation.
“Yes, Enrico. A thousand times yes.”
He stood quickly, grinning as he pulled me into a passionate kiss. Effortlessly, he lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bedroom, where we spent the night wrapped in each other—celebrating our decision with love, passion, and unrestrained happiness.
The sun was already rising when, lying on his bare chest, I felt his strong arm around me, his fingers lazily tracing circles on my naked skin.
I looked at him and smiled softly.
“I can already picture Clara as the flower girl. She’s going to look so beautiful in that twirly dress, throwing petals down the aisle.”
Enrico’s smile lit up his face.
“She’s going to steal the entire show—you know that, right?”
I laughed quietly.
“Definitely. And I’m going to love it.”
He kissed my forehead, sighing happily.
“And our honeymoon? Where do you want to go?”
I thought for a moment, biting my lower lip before looking back at him with excitement.
“I want something that’s really ours. Just you and me. Somewhere quiet, far from everything. Maybe a little house in the mountains—with a fireplace and lots of wine.”
He laughed, nodding approvingly.
“Sounds perfect. A cabin hidden from the world. No phones. No distractions. Just you and me, enjoying every second.”
I sighed happily, snuggling closer.
“I can’t wait.”
Enrico held me tighter, kissing my shoulder as he murmured tenderly:
“You’re everything I ever wanted, Valentina. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Enrico. And this time, nothing is going to stop us from being happy,” I promised.
As if the universe itself objected, the phones began vibrating nonstop.
Enrico didn’t hesitate.
“We’re not looking,” he declared, pulling me closer.
We both knew what it meant. The news from the day before had probably started breaking.
Enrico had already told me he’d handled everything with our press team before we even left the Institute, so I agreed—happy to extend that perfect moment a little longer.
We stayed together, making love again, determined to ignore the outside world.
But a few hours later, as we were getting ready to start the day, Enrico’s phone rang insistently. He sighed and answered on speaker.
“Do you ever sleep, André? For God’s sake, it’s Sunday morning.”
“Have you seen the news?” André sounded genuinely worried.
