Chapter 19 - The Whisper of the Past
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Three months later.
Spring had arrived in Chicago. The heavy iron gates of the Moretti estate were flanked by blooming white roses, and the sun shone bright and warm across the manicured lawns.
The nursery on the second floor had been completely redesigned. Gone were the old, faded wallpapers; in their place were hand-painted murals of meadows and bright blue skies.
Lily sat at a small wooden table, dipping a brush into watercolor paint, her blonde hair tied in pigtails.
Emma stood near the window, reviewing the estate’s monthly management budget on an iPad. She was no longer wearing a maid’s uniform; she was now the head administrator of the entire Moretti estate property portfolio, managing a staff of forty people with effortless grace.
The door opened softly, and Alessandro walked in. He was wearing a dark grey suit, but his tie was loosened, and his face was relaxed in a way it had never been in twenty years of ruling the city.
He walked over to Lily’s table and leaned down to look at her painting.
"What are you drawing, little artist?" Alessandro asked warmly.
Lily looked up with a bright, beautiful smile, pointing her tiny brush at the paper.
"It’s a picture of our house," she said proudly. "And that's you, and that's mommy, and that's Daisy."
On the corner of the shelf stood Daisy—the blue-eyed doll. Marco had completely stripped the surveillance tech out of her interior, restored the original hand-stitching, and replaced the glass eyes with genuine, non-electronic blue crystals.
Alessandro smiled, reaching out to gently touch Lily's cheek. "It’s a very good picture, Lily."
He stood up and walked over to Emma, pulling her gently against his side. Emma rested her head comfortably against his shoulder, looking out over the peaceful garden.
"The federal court finalized the Valenti forfeiture this morning," Alessandro informed her softly. "Their entire East Coast network has been dismantled. You and Lily are completely free, Emma."
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Emma looked up into his dark eyes, her heart filled with a deep, unshakeable love for the man who had turned a house of shadows into a fortress of hope.
"We were already free," Emma whispered, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "The night you believed a four-year-old girl."
