Epilogue
DANIELA
I trace my fingers over the embossed foil lettering on the front cover as I walk down the grand marble staircase of the Caruso estate. I’m heading back to my room from the library, lost in thought as I skim the title.
It really is ironic how much I devour romance novels when I don’t actually believe a single word written inside them.
Prince Charming? Yeah, right.
What a joke.
Even if some white knight on a horse actually existed in this dark, crooked world, where on earth would I even meet him?
I’m practically a gilded prisoner in my father’s house—locked behind iron gates, surrounded by armed guards, restricted from going anywhere or mingling with anyone outside our family circle.
My only real saving grace, the one thread keeping me sane, is that I’m finally allowed to visit and see my sisters whenever I want.
I let out a soft, heavy sigh, stepping off the last stair just as the phone in my hand begins to vibrate, buzzing loudly against my palm.
Talk about the devil. I smile, stopping right there in the hallway as I swipe the screen to answer.
"Hi, Rosalia," I say, leaning against the wooden banister.
A chorus of laughter instantly bursts through the speaker—it's a group call with all four of my sisters.
I love them so much.
A genuine warmth blossoms in my chest at the sound of their voices.
"Oh, hey guys! What's up?"
Before Camilla can even get a word out, Rosalia interrupts, her voice breathless and practically buzzing with static excitement. "Guys, I don't have much time! I just called to share some good news. I'll do a longer call with you all later, but I'm still at the clinic with Dominic right now—"
We all freeze, holding our breath in total silence.
"I'm pregnant!" Rosalia practically squeals into the receiver. "We just did the scan—I'm four months gone!"
High-pitched, chaotic squeals erupt from both ends of the line. I bounce on the balls of my feet, my heart exploding with happiness for her, while my sisters yell something completely incoherent in pure joy.
"I have to go! I'll call you guys back later, I love you!" Rosalia gasps out, and the line goes dead.
I pull the phone away from my ear, a wide, unstoppable grin plastered across my face. I start skipping down the hallway, a brand-new spring in my step, clutching my romance novel tight against my chest.
I am so ridiculously happy for my sisters. Looking back at everything they've been through, how they managed to overcome our father’s evil manipulation and actually find genuine, protective love despite all feels like an absolute miracle.
Will I ever experience something like that too? Or am I destined to just read about it in these books forever?
Suddenly, a voice cuts through the quiet corridor, stopping me dead in my tracks.
It's my father's voice, drifting out from the cracked door of his private office as I pass by.
I instantly slow my pace, my heart dropping into my stomach. My father is ruthlessly strict about his "no noise" rule near his wing of the house, and getting caught loitering outside his study is the last thing I need today.
"The arrangements are moving forward," my father's stern voice echoes from inside the room. "The terms of the alliance are acceptable, and the marriage contract is already drafted."
A deep, unfamiliar voice answers him—a low, smooth rumble that sends a sudden, icy shiver straight down my spine. "Good. Then make sure everything is prepared. I don't like waiting, Massimo."
My heart violently clutches in my chest, squeezing until I can barely breathe. The romance novel slips slightly in my numb fingers as terror washes over me.
No. Please, no.
I press a hand over my mouth, staring wide-eyed at the polished floorboards beneath my feet. My sisters got their miracles, but as I listen to the cold, businesslike transaction of my future happening on the other side of that door, a sickening dread settles deep in my gut.
My time has finally come.
Tears pool in my eyes, blurring my vision as my body begins to shake uncontrollably. It isn't just pain or sorrow rushing through my veins, though both are lurking in the dark corners of my mind, waiting to swallow me whole.
What I feel most... is pure, unfiltered anger.
Rage burns hot in my chest toward the fucking coward life gave me as a father. A father who has never once looked at me as his daughter, but only as a means to an end. A bargaining chip. A golden ticket to expand his reach and solidify his financial power.
Hasn't he gotten his fill from my sisters? Hasn't he sacrificed enough of us to his greedy, bloody empire? Why must he do this to me?
Inside the office, the sudden scrape of chairs against the floor signals that their meeting is coming to an end.
Panic snaps through my rage. I clutch the novel against my chest, my knuckles turning stark white as I spin on my heel. I sprint down the marble hallway, rounding the bend before the heavy wooden doors can swing open behind me.
I don't stop until I reach my room. I burst inside and slam the door shut behind me, leaning my back against the solid wood, chest heaving as the tears finally overflow and stream down my face.
If my father thinks I’ll take this like a meek little lamb, then he must not know me. Then he’s as stupid as I know he is.
Bastard.
I have no issue with marriage. I visit my sisters regularly and see how happy they are with their husbands, but I know that was a stroke of pure luck. Every single husband my father chose himself was nothing to write home about—vicious, cold men who saw women as property.
I will not stay here and be his next scapegoat.
I would rather disappear.
My heart aches as the plan begins to form in my mind. It breaks for my sisters who will miss me, whose hearts I will break by vanishing, but I remind myself it's only for a while. Once I'm safe and settled, I will reach out to them.
I push away from the door and run over to my wardrobe, flinging the doors open.
I dig through the racks of luxurious, expensive dresses, pushing them aside until my fingers touch the back wall to reach the small mini safe.
I don't have a bank account—yet another absurd rule from my stupid father, who believes women shouldn't be allowed to own or manage their own money.
So I've been secretly saving cash in this safe for years. I was never comfortable with the idea of being completely financially dependent on him, because deep down, I knew that when the day came I truly needed help, he would leave me to drown.
My fingers input the code, and the safe clicks open. Inside sit thick wads of cash stacked tightly together. I've never lived outside of this house, nor have I ever lived on my own for that matter, but this has to be enough to aid my freedom when I execute my escape.
I shut the safe door tightly and cover it up with my clothes once more.
Stepping back, I sit down on the edge of the bed, dragging the palms of my hands across my cheeks to wipe away the tears. I close my eyes, forcing slow, deep breaths into my lungs to stop the erratic pounding in my chest.
Relax, Daniela. Relax. You’ve got this.
I will not take this standing down. I swear on my life I won't.
My father can go straight to hell. Where he belongs.
But there’s more…
Rosalia and Dominic survived the accusations, the blood, and the marriage that was meant to keep two crime families from going to war. But peace in the Caruso world never lasts for long. And Daniela is about to learn that being protected does not mean being safe.