Those three weeks in the incubator felt like someone was ripping my heart out and squeezing it. The guilt that my foolishness caused her premature birth haunted me every second. But now, those terrifying days are behind us. My two-month-old daughter is healthy and safe in my arms, and I’ve mended things with Tony. I finally feel whole. Everything feels right.
Carefully, I stand from the couch, careful not to disturb her. I press a tender kiss to her sleeping forehead and gently lay her in the crib. After adjusting my clothes, I leave the room.
I make two cups of green tea and carry them to the living room. Tony is sitting on the couch in a white T-shirt and gray lounge pants, focused on his laptop. The sight of him sends a sweet ache between my thighs that I’ve been feeling for days. I set the tea tray on the table, and sit beside him. He turns to me. Those magnetic black eyes pull me in, like always. After all this time without sex, I’m sure I’d come undone if I touched him.
To keep from embarrassing myself and jumping on him, I lean forward and hand him his cup of tea. He takes it and leans back. I glance around the room, warming my hands on my cup.
“What do you think about changing the décor?” I ask. “The colors feel too cold. I was thinking maybe turquoise and crimson instead.”
A faint smile warms his face.“It’s nice to see you finally consider this place your home.”
His response catches me by surprise, mostly because he’s right. Even the overcast Chicago skies no longer bring me down. The towering skyscrapers don’t intimidate me anymore, and the fast pulse of life in the streets and alleys no longer unsettles me. Italy gave me nothing, not a single happy memory. My time there was spent fearing for my mother’s life, my brother’s, and my own.
But here, I live with the man I love. I have a healthy, beautiful daughter with him. My brother lives just a few floors below, getting ready to start medical school soon. Where else could I possibly call home if not the place where all my loved ones are happy, safe, and with me?
I smile at him. “That’s right, Tony.”
He takes a sip of tea, then sets the cup on the table. “Carlo has filed for divorce.”
After abruptly delivering the news, he studies my face, watching closely for any sign of a reaction. Without pretending, I gasp with joy, spilling a bit of tea onto my legs. Tony quickly takes the cup from my hand. His hand is still mid-air when I close the distance between us and throw myself into his arms.
“I’m so happy, Tony. I can finally breathe!”
His hands frame my face, holding it still in front of his. His gaze, still full of doubt, searches mine. “Are you saying this just to make me happy?”
I gently stroke his hands, my voice carrying the weight of my honesty. “I swear, this is how I truly feel. Carlo was always an unwanted presence in my life, someone I didn’t want to be tied to. And now, thanks to you, he’s gone.”
He doesn’t hesitate to ask, “And what about me? What am I to you? What have I been?”
This time, I open my heart fully. “You’re the person I always dreamed of. A fantasy that became real. A wish that came true. You’ve given me so much—my life, my freedom, my brother’s life, and my daughter. You mean the world to me, Antonio Bruni.”
I can see he’s still skeptical. He presses a kiss to my forehead before pulling away slightly. He tests the words in his mouth, then shocks me.
“I love you, Lucia.”
His confession catches me off guard. I just stare at him.
He takes my cold hand in his, continuing. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, given the track record I have with you. It was hard for me too. When I couldn’t touch another woman, even though I wasn’t sleeping with you, I told myself it was just lust.
When I kidnapped you to get revenge on Carlo, I thought you were just a trophy, a war prize. When you were in that hospital bed and I was losing my mind at the thought of losing you, I told myself it was just habit.
I lied to myself constantly, denying what I felt for you. I ran so hard to avoid falling into this trap. But the moment I held Antonia for the first time, that tiny, fragile body, I felt pure love. That’s when I realized what I feel for you is the same. There’s no running anymore, Lucia. I belong to you.”
He takes a deep breath before adding, “And you belong to me. Whether you like it or not. I can’t give you a choice. I can’t let you slip through my fingers. I can’t be noble enough to let you go. Maybe you don’t feel the same for me, but as soon as your divorce is finalized, we’re getting married.”
I see it in his eyes, he’s expecting a fight.
“I’ll be right back,” I murmur after standing up.
I go to my room and take the bloodstained blue envelope from the drawer, the one I gave Fabiano. It’s still sealed; Fabiano never opened it. Tony returned it to me when I came home, respecting my privacy. From another drawer, I take out a small leather pouch, the only thing I brought from Italy. Inside is a broken necklace, the one Tony gave me as a gift. I’ve kept it like a precious treasure all this time.
As I descend the stairs, I hold both items out to Tony. He hesitates but takes them from me, his questioning gaze fixed on mine. I lean in and kiss him deeply, then whisper in his ear,
“I wrote this letter nearly a year ago. Every word of it is true. I swear on Antonia’s life. Read it, and you’ll understand how I feel about you. I’ll be waiting for you in my room.”
***
The thick curtains block out the glow of the city lights. The room is bathed in a faint red hue from the table lamp. Sitting on the bed, without a single piece of clothing on, I wait. My core tightens again, and my nipples stand firm, pointing upward with anticipation for what I know is coming. The overwhelming urge to press my thighs together is almost unbearable, an attempt to ease the torment of my aching core.
