Epilogue Isabella
Six months later…
The afternoon sun is hot on my skin as I sit by the pool, watching Lupo swim with Elena.
"Keep your arms straight. Like this." He demonstrates the stroke, patient and encouraging.
Elena copies him, her small arms cutting through the water with growing confidence. She's wearing bright pink floaties and a matching swimsuit, her dark hair plastered to her head.
"I'm doing it, Daddy! Look!"
"I see! You're doing great!" He stays close, ready to catch her if she needs help. But she doesn't. She's swimming on her own, proud and fearless while my husband watches.
My husband.
The word still feels strange sometimes. Wonderful, but strange.
We were married two months ago. A small ceremony here at the villa—just Ciro, Emilia, a few of Lupo's most trusted men. Elena was flower girl, thrilled to wear a fancy dress and throw petals everywhere.
I wore a simple white dress. Nothing elaborate. Nothing that would draw attention or require explanations.
Because that's our life now. Quiet. Private. Protected.
But unbelievably happy.
"Mama!" Elena calls from the pool. "Come swim with us!"
I set down my book and stand. The pool was intimidating at first. A symbol of wealth and luxury. I felt like I didn't belong.
But Lupo was patient. Gentle. He taught Elena to swim and encouraged me to join them. Made it feel less like a symbol of his wealth and more like just—a family pool.
A place where our family plays together.
I slip off my cover-up and walk to the edge.
Lupo looks up and his eyes darken slightly as he takes me in.
Even after six months, even though we sleep in the same bed every night—the separate bedroom didn't last a single night, I moved into his room before we'd even unpacked—he still looks at me like I'm something precious.
Something he can't quite believe is his.
I dive in, the water cool and perfect. When I surface, Elena is splashing toward me.
"Watch me, Mama! Watch me swim!"
"I'm watching, baby."
She does a lap, more like a few strokes then paddles to Lupo, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Did I do good?"
"You did amazing." He kisses her forehead. "You're getting strong."
"Can I practice my diving now?"
"Off the side, not the diving board. Remember the rules."
"I know, I know." She paddles to the shallow end where the steps are. "The diving board is for when I'm bigger and Daddy is watching."
"Exactly."
She climbs out and runs to the far end of the pool, careful on the wet stone. Lupo watches her like a hawk, ready to move if she slips.
But she's steady. Confident. This place has become home to her in a way I never thought possible.
She jumps in and comes up laughing. "Did you see?"
"I saw!" I call back. "Very good!"
She does it again. And again. Perfecting her technique.
Emilia appears on the patio, wiping her hands on her apron. "Elena! Want to come help me gather eggs from the chickens? And we need to pick basil for tonight's pasta!"
Elena's face lights up. "Can I, Mama?"
"Of course, baby. Go ahead."
She scrambles out of the pool, wrapping herself in a towel. "I'm coming, Emilia!"
"Dry off first,” Emilia says. “Then we'll go together."
Elena dries off quickly, chattering to Emilia about which chickens laid eggs this morning. Emilia listens patiently, taking Elena's hand as they walk toward the chicken coop.
One of the guards follows at a discrete distance. Always watching. Always protecting.
Lupo swims over to me the moment they're gone, his movements smooth and powerful. When he reaches me, he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close.
"Perfect timing," he murmurs against my ear.
"Did you plan that interruption with Emilia?"
"Maybe." His hands slide along my back, his touch making me shiver despite the warm water. "Have I told you today how much I love you?"
"Twice. But I'll never get tired of hearing it."
"I love you." He kisses my temple. "Marry me."
I laugh. "I already did."
"Marry me again. Every day. Forever."
"You're ridiculous."
"I'm happy." He pulls back to look at me, his eyes serious now. "I never thought I could be this happy. Never thought I deserved it."
"You do deserve it."
"Maybe. Or maybe I just got lucky." He brushes a wet strand of hair from my face. "Either way, I'm keeping you."
"That’s good because I'm not going anywhere."
His hands move lower, his touch becoming less innocent. "Elena will be occupied with Emilia for at least twenty minutes."
"Lupo—"
"The pool house is right there." His lips trail along my neck. "And I want to be alone with my wife."
I glance toward the house nervously. "What if someone sees us heading to the pool house?"
"Let them see." His lips trail along my neck. "We're married. We're allowed to be bad."
"Still." I can feel myself blushing. "It's the middle of the afternoon."
"The best time." He grins wickedly. "No one expects it. That's what makes it perfect."
"You're terrible."
"You love it." His eyes darken. "And I want to be alone with my wife. Right now."
Even after months of sharing his bed, he can still make me want him with just a look. Just a touch.
"What about the guards?" I whisper, very aware of the security positioned around the property.
"They're paid to look away." He nips at my earlobe. "And they know better than to comment on where the boss slips off to with his wife."
"Lupo!"
"What? It's true." His hands grip my hips under the water.
"You really did plan this with Emilia, didn’t you?"
"Of course I did." He looks entirely too pleased with himself. "I've been thinking about getting you alone all morning. Watching you in this swimsuit, playing with Elena, laughing in the sun." His voice drops lower. "Do you know what you do to me every time I look at you?"
My breath catches. "I have some idea."
"Then you know I can't wait any longer." He glances back toward the house. "Emilia will keep Elena busy. She knows that I need alone time with my wife. That sometimes a man can't concentrate on anything else until he's had his hands on the woman he loves." His grin is shameless.
I laugh despite the heat flooding my cheeks. "You told Emilia you wanted to sneak off with me?"
"I didn't have to tell her. She offered." He pulls me closer. "She said, and I quote, 'Take your wife to the pool house already. You've been staring at her like a starving man for an hour.'"
"She did not say that. You’re making it up."
"She might’ve thought it, even if she didn’t’ say it." He starts swimming backward, pulling me with him toward the edge near the pool house. "Come on. Twenty minutes. Maybe thirty if we're lucky."
"And if Elena comes looking for us?"
"Emilia will distract her.” He reaches the edge and lifts himself out in one smooth motion, water streaming down his body. "And if she does come looking, the door locks." He reaches down to help me out. "I need you, Isabella. Right now."
The want in his voice undoes me. The way he's looking at me, drops of water sliding down his chest, his eyes dark with desire.
"Okay," I breathe.
His smile is triumphant. He takes my hand and we hurry across the few feet of stone to the pool house, both of us dripping wet. I keep glancing around nervously.
"Relax," he murmurs, squeezing my hand. "No one's watching. And even if they were, they've seen the boss steal away with his wife before."
"That doesn't make it less embarrassing."
"It makes it exciting." He opens the pool house door and pulls me inside quickly, shutting and locking it behind us. "See? Now we're alone. Completely alone."
The pool house is small but private. Changing rooms, a bathroom, storage for pool equipment. And a daybed with soft cushions and clean towels stacked nearby.
"How long did you say we have?" I ask, suddenly breathless.
"Long enough." He backs me toward the daybed, his eyes never leaving mine. "Long enough for me to show my wife exactly how much I've been thinking about her."
"You saw me an hour ago."
"An hour too long." His hands find the ties of my swimsuit. "Do you know how hard it was to keep my hands to myself? To watch you playing with Elena, being the perfect mother, looking so beautiful in the sunlight?"
"Lupo."
"I wanted to pull you aside right then. Wanted to drag you in here and make you mine all over again." His voice is rough now, full of need.
"You're insane."
"About you? Absolutely."
The moment the door clicks shut, Lupo’s mouth is on mine.
Hungry. Demanding. I respond with equal need, my hands sliding up his wet chest, feeling the muscles flex under my touch.
The thrill of being here, in the middle of the day, knowing we have to be quick and quiet, makes everything sharper, more electric.
“I love you,” he murmurs against my lips, his voice rough, desperate. “God, Isabella, I love you so much.”
“Show me.”
His hands are everywhere—untying my swimsuit top, pushing down my bottoms. I work on his swim trunks, freeing him, my fingers trembling with urgency.
The fabric pools at our feet, and for a heartbeat, we just stand there, drinking each other in.
His gaze rakes over me, dark and possessive, and I feel my breath catch.
We stumble toward the daybed, still kissing, still desperate. He lays me down gently, despite the urgency, always careful with me. Always reverent.
“Beautiful,” he whispers, looking down at me. “My wife. My Isabella.”
“Lupo.” I pull him down to me. “Please.”
He doesn’t make me wait. His mouth finds mine again, his tongue sliding against mine, slow and deep, as if he wants to memorize the taste of me.
Then he’s moving lower, kissing along my jaw, my throat, the hollow of my collarbone.
His lips are warm, his breath hot against my skin.
I arch into him, my fingers tangling in his hair, guiding him where I need him most.