Chapter 7 - Return to the Estate
By noon, the city outside was humming with its usual chaotic energy, but inside the secure walls of the Moretti mansion, an absolute peace had settled.
Federal agents had executed simultaneous raids across three industrial shipping yards in the harbor district, arresting the remaining operatives tied to Robert Vance’s syndicate. The news anchors on the living room television droned on about the sudden collapse of a massive corporate and smuggling ring, but inside the sunlit kitchen, none of that mattered.
Lily sat at the marble island, dipping a strawberry into a bowl of yogurt with intense concentration.
I stood by the counter, pouring a fresh cup of coffee, when heavy footsteps approached from the doorway. Dominic walked in, having changed out of his tactical gear into a crisp white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
He stopped beside Lily’s stool, looking down at her with a gentle expression that still felt surreal to witness.
“Well, artist,” Dominic said, leaning against the counter. “I hear you have a new drawing for me.”
Lily beamed, dropping her strawberry and sliding a fresh sheet of paper across the marble toward him.
Dominic picked it up. This time, there was no dark figure in black crayon. There was no monster hiding in the background.
It was just a picture of three people holding hands. A taller man in the middle, a woman beside him, and a little girl smiling brightly underneath a brilliant yellow sun. At the bottom, in the same uneven handwriting, were four new words:
“OUR FAMILY IS SAFE.”
Dominic stared at the drawing for a long, silent moment. His jaw tightened slightly, and for the first time since I had met him, I saw a flicker of raw, profound emotion cross his features.
He folded the paper carefully and slipped it into his breast pocket, right over his heart.
“It’s the best drawing I’ve ever seen,” Dominic said, his voice thick with emotion.
Lily giggled, holding out her sticky hand. “Does this mean you’re officially mommy’s boyfriend now?”
My face turned completely crimson. “Lily! Stop—”
Before I could finish, Dominic reached out and took Lily’s small hand in his, shaking it with solemn, humorous formality.
May you like
“Consider it official,” Dominic said, looking up from the child to meet my eyes across the kitchen island.
The warmth in his gaze washed away every lingering shadow of the past, leaving only the promise of a brand-new dawn.
