omg Five years after my Mafia boss husband admitted he loved another woman, he accidentally caught a little girl before she fell at Chicago O’Hare Airport. The moment he looked into her face, he froze—and when I shouted, “Lily!” from across the terminal, Vincent Moretti slowly lifted his head and saw the woman he had spent five years trying to find.

Vincent threw Julianna to the floor like a broken ragdoll. Luca and three guards rushed into the bunker, instantly pinning the traitorous woman to the ground, securing her with zip-ties.

"Take her to the lower cells," Vincent commanded, his voice cold, steady, and devoid of mercy. "Do not let her die until Valenti is dead."

"Yes, Don Moretti!" Luca hauled Julianna away, her muffled curses fading down the hall.

The bunker grew quiet, save for Lily’s soft, hitching sobs. Claire sat on the couch, shaking uncontrollably, the entire puzzle of her life finally coming together in brutal, undeniable clarity. Vincent had been a monster to save her. He had borne the hatred of the woman he loved for five years just so she could breathe.

Vincent approached the couch slowly. He knelt down on the glass-strewn floor, ignoring the shards that bit through his trousers. He looked at Lily, then raised his gaze to Claire.

"I'm sorry," Vincent whispered, a single tear escaping his iron-cold eyes, trailing down his cheek. "I swore I would never let the darkness touch you again. I failed."

Claire looked at him—really looked at him. She saw the lines of exhaustion etched around his eyes, the hollow pain of a man who had lived in purgatory. Slowly, Claire reached out. Her trembling fingers brushed against his jaw, feeling the rough stubble, feeling the heat of his skin.

Vincent closed his eyes, leaning into her touch as if a dying man had just been given water in the desert.

"Mommy?" Lily snuffled, peeking out from Claire’s arms. "Is the bad lady gone?"

Vincent opened his eyes, looking at his daughter with a tenderness so fierce it could move mountains. "Yes, little bird. The bad lady is gone. And nobody will ever frighten you again."

Lily wiped her nose with her sleeve, looking at Vincent's bruised face. "You saved us. Like a real prince."

A ragged, half-sob escaped Vincent’s chest. He bowed his head against Claire’s knees, letting the two women he lived for anchor his shattered soul. For a brief, fleeting moment, peace returned to the room.