Page 117 of Obsession & Oath

She reaches for him, taking him from me with practiced ease, her gaze softening as she gazes down at the baby.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so at peace, sowhole—and I wonder, briefly, if it’s because of the little life we’ve created or if it’s just the joy of having us all back where we belong. Perhaps it’s both.

“Let me have him for a while,” Evelina says, a gentle command in her voice, and though I don’t want to let him go, I can see the hunger in her eyes. Sheneedsthis time, and I know better than to deny the matriarch this.

I nod, stepping back and watching as she cradles him in her arms. Her soft hums fill the air as she speaks to him in Italian, words I can barely catch. She holds him like he’s the most precious thing in the world.

I turn to Dante, and he watches the scene unfold with a small, fond smile, one that I’ve come to love more than I ever thought possible.

Ever since we got off the plane…hell, ever since we made the decision to come back, there’s been something different about him. Something softer, more relaxed. Somethingright.His smile comes easier, his laughter freer.

And all I can do is fall in love with him all over again.

“Come,” Evelina says, breaking my reverie. “Let’s go inside. There’s much to catch up on.”

We follow her, the sound of our footsteps on the marble floor echoing through the halls. My fingers brush against the cool, worn walls as we tread the familiar passages. I’m remembering Italian curses and masquerade balls and indiscrete kisses in every crooked corner.

When we reach the sunroom, the light of the late afternoon filters through the glass, casting golden beams across the room, but something pulls me magnetically toward the open veranda beyond. It’s like an invisible thread tethering me to this place.

The doors open wider with a soft creak as I step through, drawn immediately to the sprawling castle gardens before me.

I stand there, rooted to the spot, letting my gaze sweep across the landscape—the same flowers, the same stone paths, the half-crumbled walls. Time feels both endless and fleeting here. It feels as though I’ve never truly left.

My breath catches in my throat as I press my palm against my beating heart, the reality of it all sinking in.

I’m home.

Everything that happened—everything I’ve fought for—has brought me back here. It’s a fantasy turned to reality.

I never thought I could have anything more than what my father expected from me. Now, my choices have led me to the only place I ever truly felt I could belong.

I can hear Evelina’s voice in the sunroom, a soft murmur as she speaks to the baby, her words laced with affection. Her joy is palpable, and for a moment, I let the sound of it wash over me, the peace of it settling in my chest.

It feels like all the pain, all the grief, has melted away. I’ve returned to a dream, one I’m not sure I ever wanted to wake from.

How far I’ve come, how much has changed, how much I’velost,and how much I’ve gained, all swirl around my mind in joyous equilibrium.

Peace. Complete and utterpeace.

Finally.

I don’t hear him at first, but then Ifeelhis presence behind me. The air shifts just slightly, and I turn to find him standing there, a tender, almost uncertain expression on his face.

“Are you happy?” Dante asks softly as if trying to hold the moment in his precious tone.

It’s a simple question, but one that catches me off guard.

I blink, trying to process his words, trying to find the answer I know is true. I open my mouth to speak, but the words are slow to come, as though the gravity of it is too much to put into a single sentence.

But then I realize that it doesn’t need to be complicated. I am happy. I am more than happy. I’m complete.I have everything.

“I am,” My eyes never leaving his.“More than I ever thought I could be.”

Dante smiles, his eyes lighting up as his fingers brush against my arm gently…before he lowers himself to the floor in one smooth motion.

My heart skips a beat, my breath catching in my throat as I try to understand what he’s doing.

When he opens his palm, I see the glint of a diamond, and my brain just short-circuits.

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