Epilogue

Adriana

The soft hum of the private jet's engines was a soothing background as I sat in the plush cream leather seat, a glass of champagne in my hand. The early morning sun streamed through the windows, casting a golden glow over everything. Luca sat across from me, his eyes warm and filled with a depth of emotion that made my heart ache in the best way possible.

I took a sip of my champagne, letting the bubbles tickle my nose, and reflected on how we had ended up here. It felt like a dream, yet the events that led us to this moment were still fresh and raw in my mind.

That day at the Velvet Room, everything had changed. Ignacio explained that he had arranged to meet Carmine at the club to go over the books because he’d found something amiss when he was reviewing the accounts. The numbers weren't adding up, and as Carmine's right-hand man and the manager of the Velvet Room, Ignacio took his responsibilities seriously. But as it turned out, what he had discovered went far beyond mere discrepancies. My unexpected arrival prior to their appointment had caught Carmine off-guard, and he’d seized the opportunity to take care of both me and Luca to secure his position. However, he’d forgotten about his appointment with Ignacio, and the man had overheard the chilling words Carmine had uttered about Luca not being his son but rather the son of his brother, Joseph.

Ignacio, after holstering his gun, had passed a hand over his eyes, telling us that he had heard everything before bursting in. Joseph was his best friend, and this truth had shattered his world as much as it had ours.

After the confrontation, Luca and Ignacio had pored over the books together, and it hadn't taken long to uncover the evidence. Carmine had been funneling money into his own private offshore accounts, betraying the very organization he had sworn to lead. This betrayal meant that Carmine deserved to die. As his Consigliere and right-hand man, Ignacio had declared Luca the new boss, cementing the transition of power.

Luca had then offered Ignacio a deal, one that would ensure the stability of the organization while allowing us to disappear. As Consigliere, Ignacio was next in line to lead the family after Luca. Ignacio would take over the day-to-day operations of the business, maintaining the facade that I had killed Carmine and Luca before he arrived, and that he had eliminated me in consequence. Meanwhile, Luca and I would utilize the money from Carmine's secret accounts to escape and start new lives under assumed identities.

It was a bold plan, but one that had the potential to succeed. Ignacio had agreed, understanding the necessity of keeping the offshore accounts secret. The lie would give us the cover we needed to start anew, free from the ties of the past. It was a bold plan, but one that offered us our only hope of a future together.

Thankfully, Ignacio had proved true to his word, and Luca and I were now safe and en route to the location that we would now call home.

Luca raised his glass, his eyes locked onto mine. "To life," he said, his voice steady and filled with conviction. "And to you, my love. I didn't realize I was dead until I met you. You've breathed new life into me, and I promise to love you for the rest of my days."

Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over onto my cheeks. "I didn't expect to want to keep living," I said, my voice choked with emotion. "But now I do, with you. You've shown me hope, and a future. Our parents would want us to be happy, to find the same kind of love they had but never got to properly fulfill. Let's live for them."

Luca's hand reached out, covering mine. "And love each other to the end," he said softly.

"I love you, Luca Capuzzo. I am yours, now and forever,” I said, raising my glass as tears continued to stream down my face.

"To life, and to love," he echoed. We clinked our glasses together and drank, and then I leaned forward to plant a kiss on my lover’s lips as we flew towards our new beginning.