Chapter 99
Harlow
THREE MONTHS LATER
If someone would have told me this would be my life, I would laugh in their face.
For a decade, I was afraid of surviving because surviving meant pain.
But now, survival meant falling in love with life and learning to heal the wounds created by a monster.
The physical wounds would slowly fade, and the ones that didn’t wouldn’t be as painful to look at.
The mental wounds would take time, but I would be okay because I had love.
Healing was a beautiful thing. It wasn’t quick.
Good God, did I wish it was, but it got easier with time.
For the first time, my mind was quiet and the woman who looked back at me was stronger.
There were hints of the broken girl I was, but I was healing the final marks on my soul.
It wouldn’t come quickly; the final pieces were always the hardest, but I would live my life without fear and move on with my life.
The evening sun was warm on my skin as I watched it kiss the horizon.
Simple things like a sunset were more beautiful now that I could truly enjoy them.
I painted portraits that reminded me of the sunset glow, but nothing could beat the current feeling I felt in my chest now.
This was the prettiest sunset I’d seen in years.
“I found you,” Caterina cooed as she stepped onto the cobblestone path.
I smiled, taking her into my arms. “Did you ever doubt you would?”
The sun painted a picture, but I captured this moment many times over. Now it was time to enjoy it. Caterina held me close to her as we enjoyed this moment together. She made simple moments feel magical, even without muttering a single word.
Caterina Moretti was breathtaking, and she was mine.
Caterina was my favorite form of art, a painting of my favorite picture.
She took my grey skies and made my world a kaleidoscope of colors.
She showed me the beauty in life and how beautiful love was.
Caterina was my yellow. A color so simple but worth so much.
She brought me peace, comfort, and happiness. She gave me forever and my family.
To think she was a savage queen who learned to kneel for me. I loved a woman who knew what she wanted, and Caterina took everything she ever wanted. She was my everything. She saw a broken woman and made me whole again. Caterina Moretti healed the parts of me I never thought could be saved.
A love like this burned for eternity.
She saved my life, and I would spend the rest of my days showing her how eternally grateful I was.
I never thought I would live long enough to find a love that expanded galaxies or find a woman who loved every part of me.
For years, I thought I was damaged, worthless, but Caterina showed me I was worth so much more.
“You’re staring.” Caterina laughed. “That’s my job.”
“Because you’re the home I spent my entire life looking for.”
She spun me in her arms, cupping my cheek with one hand, her other hand softly brushing against my skin. “Good, because you are stuck with me.”
I leaned into her, laughing. “Are you going to capture me and give us a Disney love story?”
“We already have a Disney love story, mia vita, but if you want to add a little more CNC into our relationship, I can gladly tie you up in the basement and be your beast.”
I made the first move, tangling my fingers into her shirt and pulling her down to me.
She understood the assignment, and her lips met mine with a gentleness that made my heart flutter.
It didn’t matter how many times we shared kisses, kissing her was a dream.
It felt like the world around us disappeared, leaving us alone for seconds.
Kissing her felt like I was finally home, that the missing puzzle piece was finally back where it belonged.
The kiss was slow, beautifully so, like we were savoring this moment, learning from our past and enjoying this peace. She grabbed my face, angling my face slightly. and deepened the kiss. It wasn’t desperate, but consuming. She was painting and mesmerizing me to remember every last detail.
When we finally parted, she rested her forehead against mine, her voice low in the sunset haze. “You are my home, too, Harlow. And I can’t wait to spend eternity with you.”
The life planned for us would be ours. It might not be perfect, but it would be safe and beautiful.
Caterina held me in her arms as the golden sun disappeared, leaving a sky of gorgeous stars and in this moment, I knew I was ready to conquer life with the woman who once promised to burn the world for me, and God, what a life it would be.
My scars would tell my story, but they would no longer dictate my life. I survived my past; now it was time to create our future. And for the first time, I was no longer surviving, I was living.