Epilogue – Serena
T he brush slid through my hair like a knife through butter. The dark gold lengths were a work of art. They hadn’t seen a blade in years, not even a trim. A small investment went into making them the poster-picture of health. Other women were jealous. They complained that they didn’t have the patience to grow their hair out.
But what else was a princess in the tower supposed to do?
A knock sounded on my door.
“Come in,” I called, twisting a length to accentuate the curl.
“Did you see?!” Penelope beamed, sailing into my room.
“My idiot brother falling—again?”
Penelope nodded, her winning smile shining like a damn light bulb. “He can’t stay on to save his life!”
At least he was trying. Ever since he behaved like an ass and upset his wife to the point where I feared for their marriage, Sandro had been going above and beyond to step out of his comfort zone. He gardened—the plants died from over-watering and needed replanting. He baked—burnt the damn cake so bad the dog he brought home from the shelter for Penelope wouldn’t eat it. He bought a four-wheeler—which he tipped. And he took horseback riding lessons.
Where he fell every single time.
“Are the capos here?” I asked, smoothing a hand over my dinner dress.
Penelope shook her head. “Only Dante and Luca.”
I nodded. “So the pre-business meeting has started.”
“Should we go down?” Penelope fluffed her own hair in the mirror behind me.
“I’m good. But as the consigliere, maybe you should be there.”
“Nah, I spent all day working with Luca. And Dante has nothing to do with me.”
“Yeah, the enforcer is like a chained dog. Only useful when he has a job to do.”
Penelope’s eyes glittered. “Say, when are you going to shoot your shot with Dante?”
I swept my hair over my shoulder and stood. “His attentions are focused elsewhere. Shouldn’t you know that?”
“Yeah, well, it’s been months since his girlfriend abandoned us.”
“Was abducted,” I corrected.
“That remains to be proven,” Penelope said with a sharper edge to her singsong voice.
But as I reached for my phone, she slid into my personal space. “You’ve been mopey for weeks, S. What can I do?”
The look of pity that crossed her face made me want to slap it off. I didn’t need her sympathy. With a bitter sigh, I brushed past her. Nothing. There was nothing to be done.
“You know, Anneliese has a theory—”
“I don’t care about her or her theories.” I pulled open the door.
“You should get away from here. Find some space to discover yourself.”
The door closed with a slap, my hand pressed tight against it. “Don’t.”
Penelope cocked her head. “Don’t what?”
“Just...don’t.”
It was hard to hear my deepest desire so flippantly discussed. I wanted nothing more than to be free of this place. Not because they were cruel. But because their love was stifling. Made Men suffocated their families.
“Is that what you want? You get so jealous when Annaliese talks about her time in Europe.”
Santa Maria! My sister-in-law was so damn annoying. But it was because she cared.
“You said once,” Penelope continued, either not sensing my rising temper or not giving a damn, “that you wanted to travel. To see the world without your brother hovering over your every move.”
“You know as well as I do that it’s not an option for me.” My heart bled, but the truth was unavoidable.
I pressed my fingertips to my temple, fighting the headache that always arrived when I thought too much about my gilded cage. “It’s not jealousy. It’s….” I trailed off, unsure how to explain the hollow ache in my chest whenever I heard stories of freedom.
“Then what is it?” Penelope pushed, leaning against my dresser with that knowing look in her eyes. She always could see right through me.
“Longing,” I admitted quietly. “But it doesn’t matter. You know Sandro would never allow it.”
“The don isn’t your keeper,” Penelope insisted. “I don’t give a shit about his rules.”
Launching toward the door, she scampered away.
Sometimes she was spastic like an animal on crack.
I followed at a slower pace. At the top of the stairs, the ball of energy appeared back at my side.
“Here! Give this to the don.” She thrust a small piece of yellow paper into my hand.
Confusion knit my brows as I looked at it.
Freedom for Serena Mancini to travel indefinitely without guards. Enough money to fund a long trip. No restriction as to destination.
“What the hell is this?” I snapped, unleashing the pent-up annoyance at my sister-in-law.
“Trust me.” She gave me a side squeeze before hurrying us down the stairs. “You can add any stipulation to that, but the language is vague enough that he can’t dispute it.”
I almost crumpled the piece. Almost ripped it to shreds and yelled at her too optimistic view. Just because she had Sandro twisted around her finger….
I could be free.
I might as well try.
Following Penelope into the sitting room, a wave of fear trickled through me. What if I tried, and Sandro shot it down?
What if I tried and it worked?
I marched right up to him as Penelope said, “Alessio, it’s time to honor your debt.”
Keenly aware of Dante and Luca watching us, I held out the sticky note. There was no way in hell a piece of paper would subvert the don’s strict rules. Alessandro ruled by a certain code. His word was law. There was no breaking free.
And yet as he plucked the piece of paper from my hand, his eyes widened, and hope flickered in my chest. That emotion was so foreign, it made me dizzy with the soft rush.
“Ah. You finally used it.” Alessandro’s face darkened as he read the sticky note. His jaw clenched so tight that the muscle twitched beneath his skin.
Penelope squeezed my hand, grounding me. I wished I had her confidence. She clearly didn’t care about the risk. Asking the don for anything—especially freedom—was like stepping into a minefield blindfolded.
“Absolutely not.” His voice cut through the room like a blade.
My heart plummeted, but Penelope stepped forward. “A debt is a debt, Alessio. I earned that, fair and square.”
I glanced between them, confused. The way she stood up to her husband was admirable. But he also worshiped the ground she walked on, so that determination wasn’t wholly misplaced on her part.
“This isn’t what we agreed to,” Sandro growled.
“You said whatever I wanted, except my freedom,” Penelope countered sweetly. “I’m naming this.”
Dante shifted in his seat, his dark eyes fixed on the scene playing out. Luca fidgeted with his tablet. This was an intimate family matter that my brother no doubt hated their witnessing. However, as the don, his honor was in question in front of his men.
“She wants to travel. I want you to let her.” Penelope left my side and moved to her husband’s. Her hand rested gently on his arm. “We need to let her find herself.”
Alessandro ran his tongue over his teeth, a sure sign that he was incensed.
I opened my mouth, an automatic apology on the tip of my tongue.
“Fine,” Alessandro ground out. “You may go.”
The world tilted. Astonishment rushed through me. I stood frozen, afraid to move in case this was some awful trick.
“You owe me big time,” Penelope mouthed to me with a wink.
“Conditions,” Alessandro barked, his tone brooking no argument. “I want a check-in every day. A physical check-in, not just a text message. You will have a panic button on you at all times. Fake I.D. must be used at all times, and you’ll tell no one who you really are. And one more thing.”
My heart, which had soared briefly, began to sink again. “What is that?”
“I choose your first destination,” he added, his expression softening slightly, becoming the brother I knew he could be, not the don he always was. “You’ll stay in the States and see the important, historical places. Williamsburg, Virginia has a rich culture. Move south after that and stay out of the bigger Eastern Cities—we have enemies there.”
This was my dream come true. My mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for water. Words failed me. I was getting away—actually getting away from the family.
“I…I don’t know what to say.” My voice trembled, caught between elation and disbelief.
“Then say nothing.” Alessandro’s inky black eyes bore into mine. “But understand that if you break these rules, I will drag you back here myself.”
“She understands,” Penelope interjected, shooting me a look that screamed ‘shut up and take the win.’
A small square of paper won me freedom. A regular, unimportant square of yellow. Impossible. Priceless.
I nodded quickly, afraid he might change his mind. “When can I leave?”
“Two days,” Alessandro said, his jaw still clenched tight. “That gives me time to arrange your documentation and accounts. Enough time for you to pack. And you can stop by Baldwin’s to say goodbye. He would like that.”
He would. I spent more time with that older brother this summer than I had in the previous years combined. I wouldn’t leave without a farewell dinner. Two days. Just forty-eight hours between me and a taste of freedom. Just thinking of the new places, the interesting people I would meet, the adventures I would have…. I could scarcely believe it.
I’m free. Never to be caught again.
To Be Continued in Onyx Realm
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