EPILOGUE – Emilia
The café is warm, filled with the scent of fresh espresso and vanilla pastries. The afternoon sun filters through the large windows, casting golden light across the table where I sit.
I take a slow sip of my tea, my free hand resting on the soft curve of my stomach.
A life growing inside me.
A life free from the past.
I smile, feeling the soft flutter of movement beneath my palm.
"God, look at you," Sienna groans from across the table, shaking her head. "You look like a freaking goddess."
I laugh, shaking my head. "You’re exaggerating."
"Nope," Camila chimes in, stirring sugar into her coffee. "She’s right. That pregnancy glow is real, babe. You’re literally radiant."
I arch a brow, amused. "Or maybe I’m just happy."
Sienna rolls her eyes, taking a sip of her drink. "That too. But damn, Emilia, who would’ve thought? You disappeared on us, and now you come back looking like you stepped straight out of a dream. Pregnant, glowing, madly in love."
She smirks. "And with a former mafia king no less."
I feel Rafe’s presence before I see him.
A second later, his warm hand slides over my shoulder, his fingers brushing against my neck.
"Former, huh?" he murmurs, his voice a low, teasing rasp.
I smirk up at him. "You heard that?"
"Every word."
Sienna sighs dramatically. "He’s still an intimidating bastard."
Camila grins. "But we like him."
I feel the steady beat of Rafe’s heart against my back as he leans down, pressing a slow kiss to the top of my head.
"I’d hope so," he murmurs. "I plan on sticking around for a long time."
Sienna grins, nudging Camila. "It’s almost poetic, don’t you think?"
Camila cocks her head. "What is?"
Sienna gestures between me and Rafe. "The way it all started. Emilia taking in some dangerous, brooding stranger, nursing him back to health. And look at them now."
Camila chuckles. "A whole fairytale."
I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the warmth from spreading in my chest.
Because they’re right.
The stranger I once feared.
The man who tested every limit I had.
The one who left, but came back, and chose me.
I glance up at Rafe, my heart softening at the look in his eyes.
Unwavering. Steady. Mine.
His hand moves to my belly, his palm warm over our child.
"Not a fairytale," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I exhale, closing my eyes. "No. It’s better."
Later that evening, we walk along the beach.
The waves roll in, foamy and slow, the air carrying the scent of salt and something fresh, something new.
Rafe’s fingers are intertwined with mine, his thumb stroking absently over my knuckles.
"Do you ever miss it?" I ask, watching the horizon.
His silence stretches for a moment.
Then"No."
I turn to face him. "Really?"
He exhales, tilting his head toward the sky.
"The power, the control, the blood—it was all I knew for so long." His fingers tighten around mine. "And then I found you."
I swallow hard, my heart thundering.
"And suddenly," he continues, his voice softer, "I realized power meant nothing if it wasn’t for something real. For something worth holding onto."
I smile, placing his palm over my belly.
"You found it," I whisper.
His throat bobs, his expression raw.
"Yeah," he murmurs. "I did."
I rise onto my toes, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to his lips.
"For better or worse, Rafe," I whisper.
His fingers tangle in my hair, his lips brushing mine once more.
"For always, baby."
And as we stand there, the sun setting behind us, the waves kissing the shore, the future stretching out before us, I know he’s right.
This isn’t the end.
This is just the beginning.