"I feel the same way about Elio. About this life. Like I finally get to be myself instead of performing a role someone else wrote."
"That's because you've chosen this. You're not here because you were trapped or forced or had no other options. You're here because you decided this is where you want to be. That agency matters."
"Do you ever regret it? Choosing Matteo? Choosing this world?"
"Never. Not once. Even during the worst moments—during the RICO trial, during FBI raids, during all of it—I never regretted choosing him. Choosing this life." Stefan smiled. "Everyone deserves that kind of happiness. The kind where you know without question that you're exactly where you're supposed to be. With exactly who you're supposed to be with."
"I think I have that. With Elio. With all of this."
"Good. Hold onto that. Protect it. Because happiness like this is rare. Worth fighting for."
We talked for another hour. About life here. About navigating this world. About building relationships with dangerous men who were trying to be better.
By the time I left Stefan's office, I felt lighter. More certain.
I'd found my place. My people. My happiness.
That night Elio and I were at his apartment reviewing the Jake Byrne evidence one more time before tomorrow's partners meeting.
"This is solid," I said, looking at the timeline we'd built. "Financial irregularities. Suspicious access patterns. Correlation with FBI actions. We've got enough to justify increased surveillance at minimum."
"Agreed. Tomorrow we present to Sandro, Matteo, and Luca. Get their input on next steps." Elio closed the laptop. "We'll move carefully. Jake's been here five years. If we're wrong, it damages trust with other long-term employees. If we're right but move too fast, we tip him off and lose the chance to catch him in the act."
"So we watch and wait."
"We watch and wait."
I set aside my notes and moved closer to him on the couch. "Can I tell you something?"
"Always."
"I'm grateful. For everything. For you. For this life. For the chance to build something real."
He looked at me. Surprised. "What brought that on?"
"Talking to Stefan today. I realized I am happier than I've ever been. And it's because of you. Because you took me in when I had nowhere else to go. Because you saw me as capable instead of fragile. Because you've let me be part of this world instead of just protected from it."
"Julian—"
"Let me finish. I could've ended up anywhere when I ran. Could've been caught by my father. Could've been killed. Could've ended up alone and desperate. Instead I ended up here. With you. That's the best outcome I could've possibly hoped for."
Elio pulled me close. Held me tight. "I'm the lucky one. You walked into my life and changed everything. Made me want things I'd given up on. Made me believe in something beyond duty and survival. Made me feel human again instead of just functional."
"We're both lucky then."
"Yeah. We are." He kissed me softly. "I love you. I'm grateful every day that you chose me. Chose this life. Chose to stay even when it got dangerous."
"I love you too. And I'm not going anywhere. This is my life now. You're my life. Everything else is just details."
We stayed on the couch for a long time. Just holding each other. Both grateful for the choice that had brought us together. Both grateful for the life we were building. Both grateful for the happiness we'd found in unexpected places.
"What are you thinking about?" Elio asked after a while.
"The future. What comes after we identify the mole. What happens when the FBI investigation finally ends. What our life looks like beyond just surviving crises."
"What do you want it to look like?"
"This. Us. Working together. Building something. Maybe not always at Inferno—maybe we travel sometimes. Maybe we have a place that's just ours. Maybe we figure out how to balance the danger with actually living." I looked up at him. "I don't need safe. But I want sustainable. I want a future that's more than just crisis management."
