Page 40 of Bound By Honor

“For five years I carried the guilt of choosing to investigate her rather than trust her. Of putting family loyalty above blind faith in my wife. But Alessandro...” His voice hardens. “He orchestrated everything. Fed me false evidence. Made me doubt her just long enough for him to act. He wanted me to live with choosing duty over love—even though the choice itself was based on his lies.”

His eyes search mine. “After everything with Maria... I couldn’t protect her. And now?—“

“Stop.” I press my finger to his lips. “I’m not Maria. And I’m not choosing you because I need protection. I’m choosing you because I love you—all of you. The consigliere, the father, the man who reads stories to his son and drinks expensive scotch and looks at me like I’m something precious and dangerous all at once.”

A sound catches in his throat, something between a laugh and a sob. “You are precious and dangerous.” His forehead rests against mine. “You’ve completely destroyed me, you know that?”

“Good.” I smile. “Maybe now you’ll believe me when I say no more lone wolf protector act.”

The emotion that crosses his face steals my breath. He brings our joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles that feels like a prayer.

“Ti amo,” he whispers against my skin.

“I know.” I smile, then turn serious.

The door opens, and any further words die in my throat. Dominic stands there, Enzo and Marco flanking him. For a moment, we’re all frozen—the weight of bullets, betrayal, and broken trust hanging between us.

My stomach knots as Dominic’s jaw tightens. “Luciano, there’s something we need to discuss. I don’t want to cast any suspicion on you after what you’ve done for our sister. But there’s the matter of a certain photo I received. You meeting with a Rossi lieutenant, handing over money… I need an explanation for this.”

“That was for information about Alessandro.” Luciano’s voice roughens with pain as he tries to sit up. My heart clenches at his obvious discomfort. “My old contact, Riccio. The one who used to work for us before joining the Rossis. He owed me from the Martinez operation.”

Dominic stills. “Riccio? Why didn’t you?—“

“Come to you?” Luciano laughs bitterly, and I feel his tension radiating through the bed. “Because you’d want to handle it through proper channels. And Alessandro was watching her, Dom. Learning her routines, studying her movements. I couldn’t risk waiting while we played by the rules.”

“So you risked looking like a traitor instead?” The accusation in Dominic’s voice wavers, and I see the moment understanding begins to dawn.

Luciano’s hand finds mine as he meets my brother’s eyes. “I’d risk everything to keep her safe. Even your trust. Even my life.”

Understanding transforms Dominic’s expression. “The money in the photo... it was payment for intel about Alessandro’s whereabouts.”

“Which he probably arranged for you to see.” Exhaustion weighs heavy in Luciano’s voice. “Another piece in his game to turn us against each other. And I played right into it by not trusting you with the truth.”

The weight of realization settles over Dominic. He sinks into the chair beside the bed, guilt etching new lines around his mouth. “I shot you,” he says quietly. “My own brother, and I didn’t even give you a chance to defend yourself.”

“You were protecting your sister.” Luciano’s voice softens. “Just like I was.”

Dominic moves first, his usual commanding presence cracking as he approaches my bed.

“Sorellina...” His voice breaks on the endearment. “I almost lost you. We almost—” He stops, jaw clenching.

“What ouridiotabrother is trying to say,” Enzo cuts in, his eyes suspiciously bright, “is that we’re sorry. For everything.”

Marco simply takes my other hand and squeezes it. The gesture speaks volumes.

“You’re our heart, Aurora,” Dominic finally manages. “And we nearly destroyed everything trying to protect it.”

I feel Luciano’s grip tighten on my hand as tears blur my vision. “We’re family,” I whisper. “We break, we heal, we protect each other. Even when we’re being stubborn idiots about it.”

A ghost of a smile touches Dominic’s lips, softening his usually stern features. In this moment, surrounded by my brothers and the man I love, I feel the broken pieces of our family slowly mending. It’s not perfect—nothing in our world ever is—but it’s ours. And for now, that’s enough.

Through the window, sunlight bathes the room in warmth, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I let myselfbelieve in the possibility of tomorrow. Of healing. Of love. Of family.

16

AURORA POV

Six weeks after leaving the hospital, Luca’s laughter echoes through the corridor of the Salvatore mansion, bouncing off marble and gilded edges, a sound so pure it feels out of place in a house built on shadows. He races past me, toy airplane soaring through imaginary clouds, while Luciano watches from the doorway with that soft smile reserved only for his son.

---