Epilogue
Amara
The prison lights were always blinding, no matter which room or hallway I entered. My eyes stung as I followed the guard down the long, winding halls of Ashwood Prison, twisting and turning like an endless maze. The white walls made everything appear like a landscape covered in dirty snow, with white clouds blanketing the sky and the sun still blinding. That’s how it felt in here, and I wished I’d brought my sunglasses and worn them indoors, no matter how oddly the guards would’ve looked at me.
How did they work here every day? How did the inmates not suffer from eye damage exposed to this daily?
My heels clicked on the concrete floor, echoing through the air, announcing my presence before anyone could see me. The air was stale and recycled, and it was always a little too cold.
The guard buzzed through another door, and I followed him warily. This prison always gave me the creeps when my husband wasn’t around.
My husband.
I smiled at the memory. I wasn’t sure exactly how Enzo got away with it, but he knew a judge who owed him a favor.
While I recovered after Mark’s last attack, Enzo sent out his men to run some errands. After they cleaned the whole place up, they came back with groceries and clothes for Enzo. They handed him a box before they left for the day, at his beck and call like always.
I drifted off to sleep, resting as much as I could, letting my body heal.
The scent of cinnamon stirred me from a deep sleep. I reached out instinctively, smiling when my palm met something solid and warm. I opened my eyes and saw Enzo lying across from me in my bed.
And he smiled at me.
I never saw him smile before. Smirk, sure, but a genuine smile? I didn’t think he was capable of such a thing anymore.
But he blessed me with one now, and it felt like the best gift anyone could ever give me.
His eyes trailed over my form, raking and hungry. I glanced down and noticed he was wearing a suit.
Why was he wearing a suit?
The cinnamon smell, I reminded myself. I lifted my eyes, slowly sitting up as my eyes swept over my room.
There were dozens of red candles around my room, placed on my dresser, nightstands, and even along the ground. Rose petals littered the floor, and helium-filled heart-shaped balloons floated to the ceiling.
“What’s all this?” I breathed in awe. No one had ever done something like this for me before.
He sat up, turning to me as he placed a small box in my lap. It was black and velvet, and my breath caught as I opened it.
A brilliant princess-cut diamond stood on a ruby-encrusted band, gold and shining like it was forged from the sun itself. Like he found his way to the heavens to find me a veritable treasure.
I looked up, and Enzo had moved closer, studying my reaction.
“I’m not a patient man, Amara. But for you, I’ll wait as long as it takes. If you’re not ready now, I’ll take you when you are,” he breathed. “I want you to be mine in all ways. You consume me, my little pen pal and I refuse to breathe if you’re not around. I can’t ask you to wait for me because my prison sentence is life. But I ask that you be with me in all ways, and when I decide to leave that cage for good, that you be there as my wife.”
I couldn’t breathe. Nothing else existed but him and his words floated around me like clouds, promising me my own personal paradise.
It had been months since I left Mark, and I stopped wearing my wedding ring then. After only a few months of my ring finger being bare, I already knew that I was ready to wear a ring again.
But not just any ring. His ring.
“I already am yours,” I admitted. “But yes, I’ll marry you, Enzo.”
He smirked, his hand running over the ring in the box, plucking it from me. Then he took my hand and slid it on, and it fit perfectly.
It had to be at least two carats, considering how obnoxiously big the stone was.
Enzo’s lips crashed over mine, stealing my breath as I lost myself to the heat of his possession. His tongue slid against mine, sweeping and claiming, stoking the sparks inside me into blazing flames.
His hands slid up my thighs, and I stiffened. Alarm bells went off in my head, reminding me of what Mark had done to me.
I broke the kiss, panting and looking at Enzo. I needed to see him, to know that he was the one touching me and not my ex-husband.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears flooding my eyes. I wanted to be ready and to fall into bed with him, but mentally, I wasn’t there yet. I wasn’t ready for sex.
“Amara,” he exclaimed, gripping my chin between his fingers. “You never have to be sorry with me, love. I meant what I said. I will wait as long as it takes. You’re worth it.”
I sobbed as he embraced me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me tightly as I wailed. Shame, guilt, and sorrow washed through me, the brunt of what happened to me finally rushing through me like a tidal wave.
Mark had taken from me, and I mourned the pieces of myself I lost to that horrible man. I didn’t know how long I cried, but Enzo never let me go, rubbing my back and murmuring soothing words as I let myself process my trauma.
When my sobs lessened to occasional sniffles, I laid back down in bed and drifted back to sleep .
Enzo
When I was sure Amara was fast asleep, I left her bedroom, closing the door softly behind me. I ran downstairs and nodded to the bodyguards I had stationed by her house.
I took my phone and dialed my cleaning crew. “Boss?”
“You still have the package?” I asked, using coded words to avoid detection.
“We were about to send it out,” the man replied. “You need to inspect it?”
“Something like that,” I mused. “I’m on my way.”
I hung up, walking to the street where my driver waited with a car. I stepped in the back, nodding to him. “The safehouse,” I ordered.
An hour later, we arrived, and I immediately went inside and met with my cleaning crew.
“Here he is, Boss,” the man announced, unzipping the body bag in the makeshift morgue.
My upper lip curled in disgust as I unsheathed my knife. I plunged it into Mark’ s chest, stabbing him repeatedly along his chest and abdomen, fury boiling in my veins.
He fucking raped her, I snarled in my mind. If I could make him suffer more, I would.
But there was only one thing I could do now. His blood was already clotted, so the hot spray never splattered on my face. There was no satisfaction in mutilating his body, but at least it released some of the tension in my body.
“Give me the saw,” I ordered. The men were staring at me with wide eyes, even though mutilating a corpse wasn’t one of the worst things I’d ever done. A man hurriedly handed me a bone saw, and I smirked.
All I could do now was expedite her divorce by making her free of him sooner.
I curved my knife, slicing across his throat and all the way across his neck. I hacked at him until I reached his spine, and I gripped the bone saw. Sawing at it, the bones finally snapped, and I removed his head from his body.
His mouth was parted, and his severed prick fell from his mouth and plopped on his chest.
I chuckled. Picking it up, I placed the severed head on the ground before flipping Mark’s body over. I took gloves from a table nearby, pulling them on before I gripped Mark’s hips. I shoved his shriveled prick in his ass, chuckling when it disappeared inside. Then I flipped his body back over and zipped up the body bag.
I lifted his severed head, tsking at his dead eyes before turning to my crew. “Dispose of the body. Cremate it and spread the ashes in a fucking dumpster. I’ll take care of the head.”
“Let us help you,” one of the men pleaded. “We don’t want you getting caught.”
I pursed my lips. “You’re right. Sanitize the shit out of it, place it in a bag, then give it to me,” I smirked. “I’m dropping this bitch off at the police station doorstep.”
“Why?” one of the men asked.
“Because once they know he’s dead, my little pen pal will officially be a widow. She’ll get everything he ever owned as his wife, and she’ll be free from him sooner than the divorce,” I explained.
“She must be a good lay,” one of the men muttered under his breath.
I gripped my knife and lunged, sticking it in the man’s neck. He gasped, choking on his own blood as it poured on the ground, exsanguinating him in minutes. He fell limp to the ground.
“Does anyone else have anything to fucking say to me?” I shouted.
They shook their heads.
“Get this fucker ready, and clean up the mess. I want my fiancée declared a widow as soon as possible. Get our guys to sign off on a death certificate. I want it done in less than a week.”
The room was a blur as everyone moved, and I showered and changed out of my clothes. When one of the men sheepishly handed me the severed head in a bag, I went back to my car.
“Won’t the police recognize you, boss?” my driver questioned.
“Not if they don’t see who I am,” I smirked. I was dressed in regular street clothes, and I had the cover of the night. I could always run if things went south.
When we were in front of the police station, I opened the door and threw the bag, and it landed in front of the police station’s doors. Then, my driver drove off, and I laughed as he headed back to Amara’s house.
I called the safehouse. “Get our guys on it now,” I announced. “The package has been delivered. ”
Amara
A few days and many more tears later, Enzo showed up with a piece of paper in his hands.
It was a marriage license with both our names on it.
My head shot up as I looked at him. “But the divorce isn’t final yet—”
“It’s been taken care of,” he assured me. “You’re no longer a married woman, Amara. You’re free. Free to marry me whenever you want.”
My heart melted. I’d never seen this tender side of Enzo, but I was glad he could be gentle when I needed it the most.
But seeing our names on that piece of paper further solidified my position.
I was ready to be his wife.
“How soon can we go?” I asked.
“We can go right now,” he grinned. “I know the judge, and he owes me a few favors. He said to come by anytime, and he’ll marry us.”
“Let me get dressed,” I breathed, getting up from my bed. “We’ll need two witnesses—”
“I’ll call my sister and brother-in-law,” he informed. “It’s well past time you met them anyway.”
So I rushed to my closet, picked a cute white sundress, and slipped it over my head. I quickly combed and styled my hair and put on my usual makeup.
Mark and I had a big, fancy wedding, and I knew that I didn’t want that. I wanted something intimate, just Enzo, me, and a few witnesses to make it official. I was estranged from my family, so I didn’t bother inviting them. This moment was about us, not placating people I hadn’t seen in years.
I took his hand, and we went to his car, where his driver brought us to a courthouse a few towns away in Hollowbrook. We exited the car, jogging up the steps, each eager to be married to the other.
“After this, we can get conjugal visits,” I mused.
Enzo laughed as he opened the doors, leading me inside.
We barged into the courtroom, and the judge frowned in our direction. “Really, Enzo? All of thirty minutes of notice?” he tsked.
“My brother’s in love. Give him a break,” a man replied, smiling at Enzo. “You’re lucky I was in between meetings.”
“This must be Amara,” the woman who must be Enzo’s sister exclaimed. “I’m Sofia. This is my brother, Alessandro, and my husband—”
“Alright, you can introduce yourselves later. I’ve got dozens of couples to marry today,” the judge grumbled. “Step forward, Enzo, and hand me the marriage license.”
He smirked as he handed the license and another piece of paper that I assumed was my divorce certificate to the judge. Enzo turned, holding his hand out to me. I smiled shyly and took it, facing him as we stood before the judge.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union in holy matrimony between Lorenzo Ricci and Amara Roberts. Marriage is a sacred institution between two people in love, and today, they solidify that bond by declaring themselves one before their loved ones,” the judge began. “Before we begin, does anyone object to this union?”
“It’ll be the last fucking thing you do,” Enzo warned as he glared at his siblings. Alessandro chuckled before the judge cleared his throat.
“Alright then. Lorenzo Ricci, do you take Amara Roberts to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, forsaking all others, until death do you part?” the judge asked.
“I do,” Enzo declared, his eyes smoldering as he watched me.
My heart soared at his words.
“Do you, Amara Roberts, take Lorenzo Ricci to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and cherish, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, forsaking all others, until death do you part?” the judge repeated.
“I do,” I beamed.
Enzo sighed, and his eyes softened as if he didn’t truly believe I would claim him until I already did.
“You may now exchange rings and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed,” the judge coached.
Enzo brandished a sleek gold band, held my hand, and placed it on top of my engagement ring. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Sofia handed me a ring, and I smiled at the thick gold and black band with a single ruby encrusted in the band. I took Enzo’s hand and slipped the ring on his ring finger, grinning at him. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Sofia and Alessandro stepped forward, handing each of us a small dagger. I arched my brow but took it anyway.
Enzo’s eyes darkened, and he placed the blade against his palm, lifting his head for me to do the same. I took the knife and pressed it against my palm. Enzo yanked the knife out of his hand, slicing his palm. I did the same, wincing at the sting as Sofia and Alessandro took the knives back.
“Repeat after me,” Enzo murmured, lifting his palm to me so I could see the wound. “Amara Roberts, I pledge myself to you in all ways. I am yours, and you are mine, in blood, flesh, and bone. Our bond is unbreakable in this life and in the next.”
“Lorenzo Ricci, I pledge myself to you in all ways. I am yours, and you are mine, in blood, flesh, and bone,” I breathed, lifting my palm to face him. “Our bond is unbreakable in this life and in the next.”
Enzo smiled, and he pressed his bloody hand against mine, interlacing our fingers.
“The blood oath is complete,” the judge announced. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss—damn it, Enzo, let me finish!”
But he didn’t listen as he grabbed my face and pressed his lips to mine, devouring me whole as his brothers laughed. The judge sighed as he signed the marriage certificate, and when Enzo let me breathe, we signed it next.
Sofia and Alessandro signed as witnesses, and my heart felt full. I was happy to meet them before I became part of the family.
“Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?” Sofia asked, pulling me aside. “I’m not sure if Enzo told you, but we’re—”
“Mafia?” I smiled. “I know, he told me. I don’t know much about the mafia, but I’m willing to learn if I need to.”
“You’ll need to,” Sofia’s husband chuckled. “To keep yourself safe from our enemies.”
My heart sank at the thought that marrying Enzo would put me in danger. But then I remembered everything that happened to me, how Enzo came for me, and whatever fear I had dissipated.
“I’m not worried about it,” I smiled, watching Enzo as he spoke with the judge.
Sofia and her husband eyed each other warily, but I didn’t care. I glanced at the gold band on my finger, simple yet sleek and elegant. It was exactly what I wanted; something that didn’t demand anyone’s attention and something that didn’t encumber me while I was writing at my job.
The engagement ring, however…
That rock was fucking huge. It would be a challenge to work with that thing on my finger all day, but I looked forward to being constantly reminded that I was Enzo’s wife now.
And for once in my life, I knew that this time, I was safe with my husband.