Chapter 19 - The New Mother
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When Arthur returned to the estate, the sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the stone walls.
He walked through the front doors, handing his blood-spattered coat and empty weapon to Silvio.
“Is it done, Boss?” Silvio asked quietly.
“Carmine is dead. The Romanos are scattered,” Arthur replied, rolling up his sleeves. “Where is my wife?”
“In the kitchen, sir.”
Arthur walked down the hall and stopped in the doorway.
The kitchen was a mess of flour and chocolate chips. Nora stood at the island, her arm still bandaged, laughing as she tried to wipe flour off Ben’s nose. Mia was carefully placing cookies onto a baking sheet, and Leo was sitting at the counter, pretending not to care, but eating the dough straight from the bowl.
It was a picture of absolute, messy, beautiful domesticity.
Arthur leaned against the doorframe, watching them. His chest ached with a profound, overwhelming sense of gratitude.
“Hey, Dad,” Leo called out, noticing him first.
Nora turned around, her face lighting up when she saw him. She didn’t ask about the blood on his shirt. She didn’t ask if he had killed a man today. She just saw her husband coming home.
“We made cookies,” Mia said proudly, holding up the tray. “Nora’s recipe.”
“Mom’s recipe,” Ben corrected casually, licking chocolate off his fingers.
The word hung in the air. Mom.
Nora froze, her eyes widening. She looked at Ben, waiting for him to correct himself, to realize what he had said. But the six-year-old just smiled at her, completely unbothered.
Tears pricked Nora’s eyes. The doctor had told her she would never be a mother. Her parents had told her she was a defective asset.
But standing in this kitchen, surrounded by flour and chaos, she realized they were all wrong.
Arthur walked across the room, wrapping his arms around Nora from behind, burying his face in her hair.
May you like
“Smells good,” he murmured, kissing her cheek.
Nora leaned back against his solid chest, finally home.
