Chapter 14 - THE PROPOSAL AT LAKE FOREST
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Two weeks after the triumph at the Auditorium Theatre, the Moretti estate had never looked more alive.
The harsh winter had completely surrendered to the warmth of late spring.
The massive lawns of the Lake Forest property were carpets of emerald green, lined with blooming lilacs and fragrant white roses.
The dark, intimidating armed guards who once patrolled the perimeter had been replaced by subtle, discrete security teams.
The mansion had ceased to be a fortress of fear.
It was finally a home.
My mother sat on the sun-drenched stone patio, sipping iced tea while watching Sophie play fetch with a golden retriever puppy Luca had gifted her for her twelfth birthday.
My mother’s face was full of color, her laughter ringing out across the gardens as the puppy tumbled over Sophie’s sneakers.
I stood by the marble balustrade overlooking the lake, watching the small waves lap against the private dock below.
I wore a simple sundress of pale blue cotton, my hair blowing softly in the warm spring breeze.
Footsteps approached from the stone pathway.
Luca walked toward me, his hands in the pockets of his linen trousers, his white shirt open at the collar.
He looked younger, the deep lines of stress and violence that once framed his eyes completely smoothed away by peace.
“You’re hiding by the water, Claire,” he said, stopping beside me and leaning his forearms against the stone rail.
“I’m just watching them,” I replied softly, nodding toward Sophie and my mother.
“Sometimes I still wake up and think I’m going to find myself back in that tiny attic apartment, wondering how to buy groceries.”
Luca turned to face me, his gaze holding an intensity that made the rest of the world fade into white noise.
“That life is gone, Claire.”
“You will never have to worry about tomorrow again.”
He reached out, his warm, strong hand gently taking mine from the balustrade.
“Six months ago, a woman walked into this house with a heart of stone and poison in her words.”
“She demanded that you crawl on your knees to humiliate an innocent child.”
Luca’s thumb stroked the back of my hand with infinite tenderness.
“Instead of saving yourself, you stood up to an entire room of dangerous people.”
“You chose to protect my daughter when no one else would.”
“Luca...” my voice trembled, my heart racing against my chest.
Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, worn black velvet box.
He pressed the golden latch, and the lid sprang open.
Resting inside on white silk was a stunning vintage ring featuring a radiant sapphire encircled by a halo of brilliant diamonds.
It was not a modern, ostentatious mob ring.
It was classic, elegant, and filled with history.
“This belonged to my grandmother,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a low, emotional whisper.
“She gave it to my father with one instruction.”
“Give it only to the woman who will love your family more than she loves your name.”
Luca slowly lowered himself onto one knee on the sun-warmed stone patio.
Down on the lawn, the puppy barked, and Sophie froze, turning around to stare at her father with wide, joyful eyes.
My mother pressed her hands against her cheeks, tears of happiness spilling over her smile.
Luca looked up at me, his dark eyes vulnerable, completely surrendered to the love he felt.
“Claire,” Luca said, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet gardens.
“You gave my daughter her smile back.”
“You gave me my soul back.”
“Will you do me the greatest honor of my life, and become my wife?”
Tears blurred my vision, shining like diamonds in the afternoon sun.
There was no doubt in my mind.
There was no hesitation in my soul.
“Yes, Luca,” I whispered, dropping to my knees beside him so that we were level on the stone floor.
“Yes, a thousand times yes.”
Luca smiled, a breathtaking, radiant smile that lit up his entire face, and slid the sapphire ring onto my finger.
It fit perfectly.
He pulled me into his arms, his mouth capturing mine in a deep, passionate kiss that sealed our past, present, and future into one unbreakable promise.
A cheer erupted from the lawn below.
Sophie was running up the stone steps two at a time, the puppy bounding playfully behind her.
May you like
“She said yes!” Sophie shouted, throwing her arms around both of us as we laughed together on the patio.
“She said yes!”
