Epilogue
Ten Years Later
“I heard she arranged it, to have her father killed.”
“Dante tried to trap her.”
“There is all kinds of speculation. Her father was killed and then Dante and Aria announced her first pregnancy. Before then, they had been married for a year, and nothing to show for it.”
“He was blackmailed into the marriage.”
“He fell in love.”
Aria stood, holding her glass of water Dante had given her, and listened to the whispers. It had been ten years, and it was always the same at different social functions. It didn’t matter which ones she attended, the whispers and gossip always followed. At first, she found it disheartening. She hated to be the topic of gossip, but now she had grown used to it. There had been many different scandals within the Pesci family, but it would seem her and Dante’s marriage was still a hot topic.
It always circulated around another pregnancy, and she had five of them so far, and their sixth child was on the way. Aria couldn’t even believe that for a whole year, she couldn’t get pregnant. She was even considered a failure in performing her duties.
Even still, after Dante told her he loved her, and they were not getting divorced, her life had changed, even more than she thought was possible.
Dante had insisted on her becoming better acquainted with his parents, which she had done.
His father no longer looked at her with disgust, but instead often embraced her. Their children loved their grandparents, and would often stay with them on weekends.
Aria didn’t know what to expect of her marriage, but it certainly hadn’t been to fall in love, to relish and enjoy every second with the man she had married. In the beginning, ten years ago, their marriage had been brutal, verging on a nightmare. She knew other women had it far worse.
Against all the odds, she had found happiness and love.
She watched as Dante excused himself from the circle of men he’d been talking with, and came toward her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, placing a hand on her stomach.
That would get the gossips talking. They hadn’t announced her latest pregnancy.
“I am fine. You said you needed to conduct business.”
“And that is done. Everything else can wait until morning. I am going to spend time loving my wife.” He pulled her into his arms, and Aria looked up into his eyes.
She’d gotten lucky.
“I love you,” he said.
This is what she loved about him, along with so many other things. He never asked the question when he last told her that he loved her. Dante always told her. He never hesitated.
“I love you too.”
“So what are you doing for the next fifty years?” Dante asked.
Aria laughed. This, he did ask often.
“I don’t know, I guess that depends on my husband and what he wants to do.”
“Good answer.” He closed the distance between them, and his lips took possession of hers.
This would have the gossipers whispering until the next social event. Plain Aria Gallo, the absolute love of Dante Gallo’s life.
The End