Chapter 5 - The Morning After
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The sunlight streaming through the massive windows of the guest suite woke Norah from the deepest sleep she had experienced in years. For a moment, wrapped in high-thread-count silk sheets, she forgot where she was. Then, the memory of the iron gates and the mafia godfather came rushing back.
She showered, dressed in her best remaining sweater and dark jeans, and walked downstairs. The mansion was eerily quiet, operating with a silent, terrifying efficiency.
She found Luca in the informal dining room, reading a financial newspaper and drinking black espresso. He wore a tailored gray suit without a tie, looking effortlessly intimidating.
“I accept,” Norah said, standing in the doorway.
Luca didn't look up from his paper immediately. He slowly turned the page, took a sip of his espresso, and then finally raised his steel-gray eyes to meet hers.
“I assumed you would,” Luca replied calmly. “My lawyer will be here at noon with the marriage contract. We will sign it, and a private judge will marry us in the study this evening.”
Norah walked over to the table and poured herself a cup of coffee. “And Leo?”
“Leo is in the garden,” Luca said. “You will tell him you are staying permanently. Do not make promises to that boy that you cannot keep, Norah. If you betray him, you betray me.”
The unspoken threat hung heavily in the air, but Norah simply nodded. She walked out to the manicured gardens, carrying her coffee. Leo was sitting on a stone bench, aggressively pushing a toy truck through the dirt, looking completely isolated in the massive, beautiful space.
Norah sat down next to him on the cold stone. She didn't crowd him. She just watched the truck.
“I’m staying,” Norah said softly. “For good.”
Leo stopped pushing the truck. He looked up at her, his dark eyes wide and suspicious, searching her face for the lie he was so used to hearing.
“Forever?” Leo whispered.
May you like
“As long as you want me here,” Norah promised, holding out her pinky finger.
Leo stared at her hand for a long time. Then, very slowly, he reached out and wrapped his tiny finger around hers. In that single, quiet moment, the contractual marriage ceased to be about survival for Norah. It became entirely about the boy.
