Chapter 15 - The Queen's Coronation
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Six months later, the spring sun turned Chicago into a city of emerald green and sparkling blue water.
The Cathedral of the Holy Name on State Street was surrounded by hundreds of private security officers, secret service details, and floral vans.
Thousands of citizens lined the sidewalks, waving white ribbons as the bells of the cathedral began to toll in triumphant resonance.
Inside the soaring stone nave, five hundred guests sat in silent reverence.
Capos in tailored morning coats sat beside hospital nurses, kitchen dishwashers, and community leaders.
There was no separation between the powerful and the humble.
At the altar stood Gabriel Falcone, looking magnificent in a bespoke black tuxedo with a white orchid pinned to his lapel.
His dark eyes never wavered from the heavy wooden doors at the back of the cathedral.
The organ swelled into a breathtaking, triumphant processional hymn.
The doors opened wide.
I stepped onto the white aisle runner, taking my first steps toward the altar.
My wedding dress was a masterpiece of French lace and seed pearls, trailing a fifteen-foot cathedral train that swept gracefully over the marble floor.
I held a bouquet of fresh white orchids and wild lilies in my hands.
Beside me walked Arthur Higgins, my late father's brother, weeping with pride as he escorted me down the aisle.
Every eye in the cathedral was on me, but I saw only Gabriel.
I saw the man who had told his underboss that kindness wasn't weakness.
I saw the man who had fought his way through the gates of death because he felt my tears falling on his cold chest.
When I reached the altar, Arthur placed my hand into Gabriel’s.
Gabriel’s fingers closed around mine, warm, strong, and unyielding.
"You look like an angel," he whispered, his voice trembling with an emotion he had never shown to another living soul.
"I'm no angel, Gabriel," I answered with a radiant smile.
"I'm the woman who brought you back from hell."
The Cardinal of Chicago smiled warmly, beginning the sacred vows that would bind our lives together forever.
When the moment came, Gabriel slipped a platinum wedding band encrusted with diamonds onto my fourth finger.
I placed a matching platinum band onto his scarred hand, sealing a bond forged in fire, blood, and redemption.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the Cardinal declared, raising his hands in blessing.
"What God has joined together, let no man put asunder."
Gabriel didn't wait for another word.
He pulled me into his arms, lifting me slightly off the marble floor, and kissed me with a fierce, possessive passion that made the entire cathedral erupt into thunderous applause.
Cheers, whistles, and joyful tears echoed off the stained-glass windows as we turned toward the congregation, holding hands high in victory.
We walked down the aisle together, stepping out of the cathedral doors into the blinding, warm afternoon sunlight.
The crowd outside roared with delight, throwing white rose petals into the air as we descended the granite steps toward our open-top vintage Rolls-Royce.
Leo opened the car door, bowing his head with deep, unwavering respect.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Falcone," Leo said, a genuine smile lighting up his battle-scarred face.
"Thank you, Leo," I answered, stepping into the leather interior beside my husband.
Gabriel wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close as the car eased into the cheering parade along Michigan Avenue.
I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady, unbreakable rhythm of his heart beating under his tuxedo.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The cold steel table in the basement was gone forever.
The body bag had been destroyed.
The vicious underboss was rotting in a maximum-security cage, listening to the news of our wedding on an institutional radio.
I was no longer the frightened girl scrubbing blood off the marble floor.
I was Matilda Falcone.
May you like
The maid who heard a heartbeat in the dark.
And the woman who inherited an empire.
