Chapter 13 - New Beginnings
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Two months later, the Moretti Family Foundation had been completely reborn under my direction.
The cold, arrogant socialites who had once used the charity as a fashion accessory had been completely replaced by social workers, teachers, and dedicated community leaders.
We had already funded twenty-five full scholarships for working-class students and opened two free health clinics in Bridgeport.
My life had transformed so drastically that sometimes, when I woke up in the morning, I had to touch the mahogany headboard to ensure I wasn't dreaming.
My mother had fully recovered from her surgery and was now living comfortably in a lovely cottage home near the lake, her medical care funded entirely by the new trust.
Yet despite the wealth and title, I still kept David’s silver watch and my daughter’s white graduation carnation preserved in a glass frame in my new office.
They were sacred reminders of where we had come from and the price that had been paid for our freedom.
It was late on a Friday evening, and the bustling foundation offices in downtown Chicago had grown quiet.
I stood near the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, looking out over the glittering lights of Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue.
The soft sound of footsteps made me turn around.
Luca was walking into my office, holding two paper coffee cups from the small diner down the street where David and I used to eat years ago.
“I thought the director might need some fuel,” Luca said, offering me a cup with a warm, easy smile.
“You remembered which diner I liked?” I asked, accepting the warm cup gratefully.
“I remember everything you tell me, Caroline,” Luca answered, leaning against the edge of my desk.
He looked at me, his dark eyes softer than anyone in the Chicago underworld had ever seen them.
For the past two months, Luca had been a constant, protective presence in my life, always respectful, always ensuring I had everything I needed.
Yet beneath the professional respect, a quiet, undeniable current of affection had grown between us.
“Emma called me this afternoon,” Luca said, taking a slow sip of his black coffee.
“She said her clinical rotations start next week at the trauma center.”
“She’s nervous,” I laughed softly, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
“She’s worried she won't know what to do on her first night.”
“She’ll be brilliant,” Luca said without hesitation.
“She has your spine, Caroline. Nothing breaks a woman who learned how to survive from you.”
I felt a pleasant blush warm my cheeks, looking down at the coffee cup in my hands.
Luca set his cup on the desk and took a step closer to where I stood by the window.
“Caroline,” he said, his voice dropping into a deep, intimate register that made my heart flutter wildly.
“For three years, I watched you work in my house.”
“I saw how you carried yourself with dignity, even when people who didn't deserve to breathe the same air treated you like dirt.”
“I never stepped in back then because I was blind, trapped in obligations I thought my family required.”
Luca reached out, his warm, rough fingers gently brushing against my cheek, tracing the line of my jaw.
“I don't care about syndicate alliances or high-society expectations anymore.”
“The only thing I care about is having a woman of honor, strength, and heart by my side.”
My breath caught in my throat as I looked up into his fierce, handsome face.
“Luca… my life is complicated,” I whispered, though my heart was screaming for him to pull me closer.
“I know,” Luca murmured, his thumb resting gently on my lower lip.
“And I have plenty of sins on my hands.”
“But if you let me, Caroline, I will spend the rest of my life making sure you and Emma never walk alone again.”
May you like
He leaned down slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.
Instead, I closed my eyes, rose onto my tiptoes, and let my lips meet his in a kiss that erased eight years of loneliness and sorrow.
