Chapter 5 - THE SUNRISE OVER MANHATTAN
Three months later, the wedding was held not in a cold, sterile cathedral, but in the sunlit gardens of the Moretti estate.
There were no press cameras, no fearful politicians, and no underworld rivals—only a small, tight-knit circle of trusted friends, loyal staff, and the people who had become our true family.
I wore a simple, elegant ivory lace dress. Sophia, acting as the proudest flower girl in history, scattered pink rose petals down the stone pathway with fierce concentration, wearing a matching miniature veil that bounced with every step.
And standing at the altar beneath an archway draped in blooming wisteria and ivy stood Alessandro, wearing a sharp black tuxedo, waiting for us with a smile that completely transformed his stern features into something breathtakingly handsome.
As my hand slipped into his at the altar, the morning sun broke through the autumn clouds, casting a golden glow across the manicured lawns and the open windows of the second-floor eastern corridor.
From up above, through the open glass, the painted garden seemed to catch the morning light, making the colorful butterflies look as though they were about to take flight off the wall.
“You may kiss the bride,” the officiant smiled.
Alessandro pulled me into his arms, kissing me with a deep, fierce, unhurried passion that made the world around us completely fade away.
From somewhere nearby, the patter of small running feet broke the quiet, followed by an excited squeal.
“Can I kiss Mama too?” Sophia giggled, tugging playfully at the hem of Alessandro’s trousers.
Alessandro laughed—a rich, booming sound that echoed across the gardens and into the blue Manhattan sky—and scooped Sophia up into his arms, holding both of us tightly against his chest.
May you like
I rested my head against his shoulder, looking out at the glittering skyline of the city in the distance. The shadows were gone. The cold winter of our past had melted away.
We had stepped out of the darkness and into an unbreakable, sunlit forever.
