Page 100 of Ruthless Royalty

“Mom!” I call out, my voice breaking as I run across the driveway, my feet barely touching the ground.

She’s moving toward me too, her eyes filled with tears, her arms outstretched. “Chiara, baby,” she whispers, and then we’re in each other’s arms, holding on as if we’re afraid to let go.

For a moment, we just stand there, clinging to each other, letting the world fall away. All the fear, the pain, the confusion—it all melts away in the warmth of my mother’s embrace.

I bury my face in her shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel safe in her arms again. Yeah, I just saw her a few days ago, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t need my Mom.

We used to be close, used to be best friends, and this wholething with her and Dmitri drove a wedge between us. I almost died, and need to get over the fact that my mother chose him.

“I’ve missed you so much,” I whisper, my voice trembling with emotion. “I was so scared when you left…”

“I know, baby,” she murmurs, her voice thick with tears as she strokes my hair. “I was scared too, but I felt like you needed some time to think. I’m so sorry, Chiara. I’m so sorry for everything.”

I pull back slightly, just enough to look into her eyes. There’s so much I want to say, so much I need to ask, but right now, all I can think about is how much I need her.

“I’m not mad at you,” I say, my voice soft but firm. “I understand, Mom. I really do.”

She looks at me, her eyes filled with disbelief. “You’re not mad? Even after I kept things from you?”

I shake my head, wiping away the tears that have started to fall. “No, I’m not mad. I know you were just trying to protect me. You did what you thought was best, and I can’t blame you for that.”

She lets out a shaky breath, her shoulders sagging with relief. “I was so afraid you’d hate me,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. “After everything that’s happened, after everything you’ve been through … I was so afraid you’d hate me for dragging you into this world when I ran away from it initially.”

I take her hands in mine, squeezing them gently. “I could never hate you, Mom. You’re my mother, and you did what you had to do to keep us safe. I understand that now. I might not have before, but I do now.”

She nods, tears spilling down her cheeks as she pulls me into another hug. “I’m so proud of you, Chiara,” she whispers, her voice trembling as she reaches out and holds my face. “You’ve grown into such a strong, brave woman. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you as my daughter.”

I close my eyes, breathing in her scent and the feel of herhands on my face. “I’m the lucky one,” I whisper. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

She hugs me again and we stay like that for a while, just holding each other, letting the emotions wash over us. It’s been so long since I’ve felt this close to her, since I’ve felt like I could just let go and be her daughter again, without all the fear and the chaos that’s surrounded us.

Finally, I pull back, wiping my eyes as I look at her. “There’s so much I want to talk to you about,” I say, my voice shaky but determined. “So much I need to understand.”

She nods, her expression softening as she takes my hand and leads me toward the house. “We have all the time in the world, Chiara. Let’s go inside, and we can talk about everything.”

As we walk up the steps to the front door, I glance back at Giovanni, who’s still standing by the car, giving us space. He catches my eye and gives me a small, reassuring smile and a wink. He’s been my rock through all of this, and I honestly could not have done this all without him.

Inside the house, we settle into the living room. My mom sits beside me on the couch, holding my hand, and I can see the worry still etched on her face.

“I know you must have a million questions,” she says softly, her voice filled with regret. “And I’ll do my best to answer them. I just want you to know that everything I did, I did because I love you.”

I nod, taking a deep breath as I try to gather my thoughts. “I know, Mom. I know you did what you thought was best. But… There are things I need to understand. About my father, about why you left him, and why you never told me the truth.”

She sighs, her eyes filled with sadness as she looks down at our joined hands. “Your father … Alberto, he is a dangerous man, Chiara. I didn’t realize it at first, or maybe I didn’t want to see it. But by the time I figured it out, it was too late. I was already pregnant with you, and I knew I had to get out of Italy.”

I swallow hard, trying to make sense of it all. “So you ran? You left him and never looked back?”

She nods, her voice trembling as she continues. “I had to, Chiara. I knew if I stayed, he would drag us both down into his world, and I couldn’t let that happen. So I left, and I never looked back.”

“But why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, my voice filled with confusion and hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me who he was, or what he was capable of? Why did you let me go through all of this without knowing the truth?”

She looks up at me, her eyes filled with guilt. “Because I was trying to protect you, Chiara. I thought that if you didn’t know, you could have a normal life, free from the darkness that surrounded your father. I wanted to give you a chance at something better, something different.”

I nod, trying to understand, but it’s still so hard to reconcile everything. “And Dmitri … does he know?”

She hesitates for a moment, then shakes her head. “No, I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell anyone, especially after I found out who he really was.”

“So that’s why you kept the marriage from me,” I say, the realization dawning on me. “You didn’t want to drag me back into that world when you fought so hard to keep us out of it.”

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