Chapter 8
Later, much later, they sat on her worn couch, the city lights twinkling through the window. The fireworks had stopped. The celebrations had faded. The world had moved on from midnight, but in this small apartment, time felt suspended.
Mila’s head rested on Luca’s shoulder. His arm was around her, holding her close. The silence between them was comfortable, full of everything they had said and everything they still needed to say.
“I should call my men,” Luca said quietly. “Let them know I’m staying.”
She looked up at him. “You’re staying?”
“Unless you want me to go.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want you to go.”
He smiled. A real smile. The kind she had never seen from him before.
“Then I’m staying.”
He made a quick phone call, speaking in low Italian. She didn’t understand the words, but she understood the tone. Authority. Command. And something else — something softer when he looked at her.
When he hung up, he turned to her. “It’s handled.”
“What was that about?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” He took her hand. “I told you — you’re under my protection. That means I handle the threats. You don’t have to think about them.”
She wanted to argue. She wanted to say that she deserved to know what she was stepping into. But she was tired. And she was safe. And for the first time in years, she didn’t feel alone.
“Tell me one thing,” she said.
“Anything.”
“Were you really going to stay away? If I hadn’t texted you?”
He was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, “I told myself I would. I told myself that you deserved better than a man like me. That I had no right to pull you into my world.”
“But?”
“But I was lying to myself.” He turned to face her fully. “I would have found a reason to be near you. Eventually. I couldn’t stay away forever.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you couldn’t.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.” She reached up and touched his face. “I’ve been invisible my whole life, Luca. I’ve been careful and quiet and safe. And I’ve been so lonely I didn’t know what to do with myself.”
His hand covered hers. “You’re not invisible anymore.”
“I know.” She leaned in and kissed him — soft, slow, full of promise. “You saw me.”
“I saw you,” he agreed.
“And now?”
“Now I’m never looking away.”
She curled into his side, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her cheek. The night had been chaos and terror and revelation. But it had also been the beginning of something she had never dared to hope for.
“Luca?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for coming.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll always come, Mila. Always.”
She closed her eyes. For the first time in years, she felt safe. Not because the world had changed. Not because the danger had disappeared. But because she was no longer facing it alone.
She fell asleep in his arms, the sound of his heartbeat in her ears, the warmth of his body wrapped around hers.
And when she woke the next morning, he was still there.
Final Image
The morning light streamed through the thin curtains of Mila’s small apartment. She stirred, feeling the unfamiliar weight of an arm around her waist. For a moment, she forgot. Then she remembered everything.
She turned her head. Luca Romano was lying beside her, still asleep, his face relaxed in a way she had never seen before. He looked younger. Softer. Human.
She studied him in the quiet morning light. The strong line of his jaw. The dark lashes against his cheeks. The faint scar she had noticed the night before. This was the man who ruled the city’s underworld. The man who made others disappear. The man who had held her through the night and promised to protect her.
And he was hers.
She reached out and traced his cheek. His eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he looked disoriented. Then his gaze focused on her, and he smiled.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice rough with sleep.
“Good morning.”
He pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair. “Did you sleep?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“Good.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You needed it.”
She laughed softly. “I needed a lot of things. Apparently, you were one of them.”
He lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. “I’m not going anywhere, Mila. I need you to understand that.”
“I understand.”
“This isn’t a one-night thing. This isn’t a mistake we pretend didn’t happen. You’re mine now.”
She smiled. “I know.”
He kissed her — slow and warm and full of the future they were about to build.
“Happy New Year,” he said again.
“Happy New Year, Luca.”
She looked at him. The most dangerous man in the city. The man who had followed her into a new year. The man who had seen her when she was invisible.
And she knew, with absolute certainty, that this was only the beginning.
The shy assistant had sent a text.
May you like
And the mafia boss had arrived.
THE END
