48. Valerio
FORTY-EIGHT
VALERIO
Valerio found Luna sitting outside in the backyard gazebo, looking out into the city. He approached her, sitting down on the small bench. It was freezing, but the cold was a relief for once.
“My father’s dead,” Luna said, not bothering to turn to him. “My mother killed him. She snapped. Now, she’s on a plane to Germany. Finn burned the house down. It doesn’t exist anymore.”
Valerio listened, grabbing her hand in his.
“I cried with her, and I held her. For the first time in my life, I actually understood her,” she said, shaking her head. “I wish it had happened years ago, but maybe it was better that it happened now.” She turned to him now. “You’re okay?”
“I’m okay,” he said. “Dante killed him. Shot him in the mouth. We got control of the house. Everyone there pledged their loyalty, but there’s more work to be done.”
“How is Dante?” she asked.
“He’ll be okay. Are you okay?” he asked, squeezing her hand.
“I didn’t expect it to hurt as much as it does,” she said. “Why does it hurt?”
“It only hurts for a little bit. One day you’ll wake up, and it won’t hurt so much. That’s how you’ll know you’re healing,” Valerio said. His voice held promise, having experienced grief in his own life for far too long. “For now, let it hurt. It’s good to hurt.”
“Does it still hurt you?” Luna asked, turning to face him.
“It’ll probably hurt for the rest of my life,” he told her. “But I can live with it.”
“Once everything settles,” she started. “I want the house, the kids, the honeymoon. I want it all.”
Valerio nodded his head. He absolutely wanted it all too, every single part of it. “And for now?” he asked.
“For now, I just want you,” she said, leaning her head in. “All I need right now is you.”
They would get the kids, the house, the love story they always deserved. They would establish their lives, find out who they were as Luna and Valerio Vitali. They would heal together, confide in each other in the darkest moments. They would hold each other on the happy days and the hard ones. They would tell tales about how they survived the war and how they never stopped loving each other.
For now, however, they would simply exist there, in each other’s embrace.
And just like that, the dark snowy clouds cleared, and finally the sun had come out.