Chapter 9 - THE WHITE ROSES IN FULL BLOOM
One year later.
The spring sun warmed the stone pathways of the Moretti estate.
The scars of the bulldozers were completely gone. In their place stood a magnificent, rebuilt glass greenhouse, twice the size of the original.
And inside, twenty-three beautiful, climbing white roses were in breathtaking, full bloom.
I stood in the center of the greenhouse, wearing a simple, elegant white sundress, carefully pruning a stray branch with a pair of silver shears.
"You're taking more off the left side than the right," a gruff voice noted.
I smiled without turning around. "They need airflow, Antonio. Otherwise, the humidity in here will cause mildew."
The old gardener chuckled, walking up beside me with a watering can. He looked ten years younger. He wasn't just the gardener anymore; he was the head of the estate grounds, overseeing a staff of five.
"Your grandmother taught you well, Sophie," Antonio smiled.
"She did," I agreed, touching a delicate white petal.
The sound of laughter echoed from the lawn outside.
I looked through the glass.
Leo was running across the grass, kicking a soccer ball. He was faster, stronger, completely free of the shadows that had haunted his first ten years.
And chasing right behind him, laughing and pretending to be out of breath, was Luca.
The terrifying mafia don was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, completely focused on trying to steal the ball from his eleven-year-old son.
The Commission still existed. The syndicates still ran the city. But Luca had restructured everything, moving the Moretti family into legitimate shipping and real estate. The violence was a closed chapter.
"Mom!" Leo yelled, waving at me through the glass.
I smiled, waving back. The word still sent a warm thrill through my chest every time he said it.
Luca scooped up the ball, threw it to Daniel—who was acting as a highly overqualified referee—and jogged toward the greenhouse.
He pushed the glass door open, bringing the smell of fresh cut grass and spring air with him.
"He's getting too fast," Luca panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I'm going to have to start cheating."
"Set a good example, Mr. Moretti," I teased, handing him a towel.
Luca caught my hand before I could pull away. He pulled me against his chest, kissing me softly.
"I have a surprise for you," Luca whispered.
"Another one?" I laughed. "Luca, you already rebuilt the greenhouse and bought my grandmother's nursery. I don't need anything else."
"This isn't something I bought," Luca said, his eyes turning serious and tender.
He reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small, tarnished silver locket.
I recognized it instantly. It was the locket Clara, his first wife, was wearing in the photographs Antonio had shown me.
"Clara’s mother gave this to her," Luca said softly, running his thumb over the silver. "She wanted it to go to the woman who would watch over her son if she ever couldn't."
Tears pricked my eyes. "Luca... I can't take Clara's locket. That belongs to Leo."
"Leo is the one who asked me to give it to you," Luca smiled.
I looked outside. Leo was standing near the patio, watching us with a massive grin, giving me two thumbs up.
I let out a wet laugh, tears finally spilling over.
Luca stepped behind me, gently unclasping the silver chain and securing the locket around my neck. It rested warm and heavy against my collarbone.
"You didn't just save my son, Sophie," Luca whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "You saved me. You brought the light back into this family."
I leaned back against him, feeling the steady, strong beat of his heart.
"We saved each other," I whispered.
I looked at the twenty-three white roses blooming around us in the greenhouse. They were beautiful, resilient, and thriving in the soil they were always meant to grow in.
I wasn't a maid anymore.
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I was a mother. I was a partner.
And for the first time in my life, I was exactly where I belonged.
