“If you don’t know…it will take some time to sell the house. Maybe you can stay…” He trailed off.

I nodded. “That would be good. Izzy and Luke need their space, and I can help you get the house ready and make sure you’re—”

He took my face in his hand and drew it to himself to kiss me, swallowing up the empty words.

“I want to make love to you.”

“The doctor said—”

“I need you, Lucia. I’ve needed you for so long.”

25

Salvatore

I kept my promise to Lucia. Roman came to the house the following morning and handed me the initial contract she and I had signed. I set it aside and had him draw up another one. This one forgave any and all debt any DeMarco owed any Benedetti, real or perceived, and the two families were no longer bound in any way. And it could not be overturned at any time in the future.

I signed it and had a copy sent to Isabella. I would deliver a copy to my father personally. This insane vendetta was finished. I ended it as one of the two things I did during my hours-long rule over the Benedetti family before I gave everything—the reign, the rule, the power—over to Roman.

It was another week before I could move back upstairs to my own bedroom and another month before I was fully healed. All that time, Lucia stayed with me, caring for me like I didn’t remember ever being cared for by anyone apart from my mother.

I also saw Natalie and Jacob. She came to give me the news she too was moving away, along with her parents. She didn’t trust anyone but me, and with Roman now taking over and Dominic somewhere out there, she didn’t feel safe. She promised to keep in touch with me, though, and I let her go, let her take my nephew with her. I would miss them. It was another piece of Sergio that was gone, but I knew part of him would always be with me, no matter what.

As far as the house, it turned out I didn’t have to put it on the market. An anonymous buyer bought it outright, furnished, within hours of my talking to a real-estate agent. We needed to be out within two weeks. I let Rainey go with a hefty bonus to tide her over until she found work. I didn’t need to worry about Marco. He would go to work for my uncle. Lucia and I simply had to pack up our personal things, and we were free to truly walk away.