"Yeah, but Mom was glad she got to replace it."
For the first time in years, we're laughing together. Not at each other's expense, but as siblings who might actually give a damn about one another.
It would be nice to have more of this. But even with pain and drugs, I know things aren’t finished between the Dantes and the Bratva.
"And if Maksim breaks his word?" I ask.
Adriano smiles thinly. "Then we finish what you started."
“You’re saying that?” I ask surprised. “The one who is afraid of bloodbaths?”
He gives me a face. “I’m not afraid of them. I just don’t like how messy they are.”
I’d roll my eyes, but I’m afraid I’d end up vomiting.
I listen to my siblings discuss the terms of the peace treaty, the territory lines being redrawn, the reparations Maksim will pay. Their voices fade into background noise as reality sinks in.
My job here is done. I came back to find out who summoned me home and why.
I stayed to meet my son and win back Katerina.
Along the way, I helped uncover a traitor and sparked a war that's now ending on our terms.
But my life is in Chicago. My business. My home. They’ve been neglected for too long.
“When I can stand again, I’m heading back home.”
The room falls silent. Three pairs of Dante eyes turn to me.
“This is your home.” Valentina’s eyes narrow, daring me to contradict her.
"My business needs me. I've been gone too long already." I'm way past the forty-eight hours I gave Franco.
"You can't be serious. Your life is here now. Your son is here." She glances toward my brothers as if to ask them to help her make me see reason.
"She's right," Alessandro says. "You've proven yourself. There's a place for you in New York. In the family."
Even Adriano nods. "The family needs you."
There was a time I’d have done anything to hear them talk like this. And I can’t deny that it’s nice to feel like I’m a part of the family. But my life is elsewhere.
“My business…” My brain glitches. The pain, medication, and bone-deep exhaustion make it hard to focus.
"Can be managed remotely," Alessandro cuts in. "Or sold. You've got more important things now."
A tug-of-war plays out in my head. Chicago represents everything I built alone, proof I didn't need the Dante name to succeed. But New York has Katerina and Enzo.
"It's not that simple," I manage. "I can't just abandon what I've built."
"And what about what you've built here?" Valentina crosses her arms, her expression filled with disappointment. “You’re going to abandon that?”
I need to explain.
I need them to understand I'm not running away this time.
I'm trying to build something better.
But the room tilts slightly.
