Chapter 10 Luca #3
"Let's get you both home." Matteo opened the car door. "You've had enough for one day."
We got in the car—me, Valentino, and Matteo in the back, Sandro driving with Emilio beside him. The moment we pulled away from the courthouse, some of the tension eased.
"Elio and the others are at your penthouse," Sandro said. "They wanted to wait there in case you needed anything."
"They don't have to—"
"They want to," Matteo interrupted. "Let them help. Let us help."
I reached for Valentino's hand. He threaded his fingers through mine and held on tight.
"Thank you," Valentino said quietly. "For being here. For having our backs. I know we're dragging you all into this."
"You're not dragging us anywhere," Sandro said firmly. "We're family. This is what family does."
We drove back to my building in relative silence. All of us processing. When we arrived, Sandro pulled around to the garage entrance instead of the main doors—avoiding press and cameras.
In the elevator up to the penthouse, Valentino leaned against me. "I can't believe this is our life now. Under indictment. Facing trial. Ankle monitors and bail conditions."
"I know. It's surreal."
"Are we going to be okay?"
"Yes." I said it with more confidence than I felt. "We're going to fight this. And we're going to win."
The elevator opened directly into the penthouse. And immediately we were surrounded.
Elio, Julian, Stefan—all of them there. All of them looking concerned and supportive and ready to help.
"Welcome home," Elio said. "Such as it is."
"Thank you all for being here." I looked around at the found family we'd built. "I appreciate it more than I can say."
"Don't thank us yet," Stefan said. "We brought food. And wine. Figured you'd need both."
They'd set up dinner in the dining room. Nothing fancy, just takeout from multiple places. But it was exactly what we needed—normalcy, family, support.
We sat down to eat. At first the conversation was cautious, dancing around what had happened.
But gradually it became more normal. Emilio told a story about a case he was working on.
Stefan complained about a property deal that was taking forever.
Elio made sarcastic comments that made Valentino laugh.
Normal. As normal as possible when we were both wearing ankle monitors and facing federal charges.
After dinner, everyone gradually left. Each one offering help, support, anything we needed. Until finally it was just me and Valentino in our penthouse.
Alone for the first time since being arrested.
Valentino immediately collapsed onto the couch. "I don't think I've ever been this exhausted."
"Same." I sat beside him. "How are you? Really?"
"Terrified. Overwhelmed. Grateful to be home." He leaned against me. "The processing was humiliating. The cell was awful. The arraignment was surreal. And now we're just... here. Waiting for trial."
"We'll get through it."
"Will we? Luca, they could convict us. We could go to prison. You could get ten to fifteen years. I could get five to seven." His voice broke slightly. "That's our future. Prison time. Separation. Years of our lives gone."
"Or we could beat the charges. Be acquitted. Walk away free."
"Do you really believe that?"
"I believe we have a chance. And I believe we have the best lawyer in the city. And I believe that we're going to fight with everything we have." I turned to face him. "But yes, there's a chance we could lose. A chance we could both go to prison. And if that happens, we'll deal with it. Together."
"How do we deal with being separated for years?"
"We survive it. We visit. We write. We hold on to each other even from different locations.
" I caught his face in my hands. "Valentino, I love you.
That doesn't change because of a verdict.
That doesn't change because of prison time.
I love you and I'm committed to you and we're going to get through whatever comes. "
Tears were running down his face. "I love you too. And I'm so sorry I got you into this."
"You didn't get me into anything. I got myself into this. Years of choices led to this arrest." I wiped his tears. "But I don't regret any of it. Because all of those choices led me to you. And you're worth it. All of it."
He kissed me then, desperate and emotional. I kissed back just as hard, both of us needing the connection, the reassurance, the physical proof that we were still here, still together, still choosing each other.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.
"Bed," I said. "We both need to sleep."
"I don't think I can sleep."
"Then we'll just lie there. Together. But we need to try."
We went to the bedroom and stripped down to underwear. Climbed into bed and found each other in the darkness. I pulled him against me, his back to my chest, my arms wrapped around him.
"We made it through day one," I said quietly.
"We made it through day one," he agreed. "How many days until trial?"
"Months. Probably six months minimum."
"That's a lot of days."
"We'll take them one at a time." I held him tighter. "One day at a time. Together."
He threaded his fingers through mine. "Together."
We lay there in the darkness, both processing everything that had happened. The arrest. The processing. The arraignment. The bail. The ankle monitors. The media. The humiliation.
And underneath it all—the terror of what came next.
But also: each other. The support of found family. The determination to fight.
"Luca?" Valentino's voice was quiet.
"Yeah?"
"No matter what happens at trial—no matter what the verdict is—I don't regret choosing you. I want you to know that."
My chest tightened. "I don't regret you either. Best thing that ever happened to me, even if the beginning was fucked up."
"Especially because the beginning was fucked up. We built something real from that darkness."
"We did." I kissed the back of his head. "And we're going to keep building it. Through trial, through whatever verdict comes, through whatever consequences we face. We're building this together."
"Together," he agreed.
Eventually, exhaustion won and we both fell asleep tangled together. Both wearing ankle monitors. Both facing federal charges. Both terrified of what tomorrow would bring.