Page 121 of Trapped

My eyes burned. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Santino murmured, his thumb brushing away a tear that had slipped down my cheek. “Just know that it’s yours. Your name’s on the title. You own it.”

I stared at the keys in my hand, speechless.

He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine. Silence hung between us, the quiet hum of the distant party noises worlds away. Santino shut his eyes and opened them, taking a deep breath.

“And if you ever want…if you need your own space, I’ll help you. Just yours. No strings.”

My heart sank a little. Was he giving me a way out? Did he think I’d want one? Didhewant one? The warmth of his body so close suddenly felt like a thousand miles away.

My stomach sank. “You’re letting me go?”

He nodded, his eyes burning.

“You don’t want me anymore?”

Santino’s brow furrowed. “It’s not that. I don’t want to be another thing tying you down. This thing with Luca made me think. If you’re here, it should be because you want to be. Not because you feel stuck.”

“I don’t feel stuck. I don’t want anywhere else.”

He softened. “I messed up. Made you feel trapped. That’s on me. But if we’re doing this, it’s gotta be real. I want it to be right.”

“I knew what you are. I chose you. And this shop is more than I ever expected. But I don’t want it if it means not having you.”

His hand came up to cradle my face, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw tenderly. “You have me, principessa. Always. If you want me.”

“I do. More than anything. I love you,” I blurted, the words rushing out. “I love you, and I’m scared of how deep this goes, scared of what it means for us both. I should have told yousooner how I felt, but I was afraid that loving you this much could destroy me.”

“I love you, too, Delilah.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring his face, but I could hear how much he meant those words. My heart pounded. Hearing him say he loved me—it was everything I needed.

Santino raised his brow. “So, you’ll marry me?”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

I smiled and nodded.

Santino got the box out of his jacket. I held up my hand, and he slipped the ring onto my finger. Then he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest.

EPILOGUE

DELILAH

Wedding bells chimed.

Santino and I stepped down the stone steps, hand in hand. A cloud of bubbles floated around us, courtesy of Jack and the other children, their laughter mingling with the cheers. The scene felt like something out of a fairy tale, surreal and magical but undeniably real.

The ceremony had been simple. Only close family and a few friends. We’d come so far from the moment I fled Dimitri to this moment when I chose Santino to be mine forever.

As we reached the bottom of the steps, I spotted Violet fussing with a tiny bow on her newborn’s outfit. Kill stood beside her, arms crossed, a bemused look on his face. A few feet away, Romeo bantered with his sisters, his hands gesturing wildly.

Right in the middle of them stood Luca, grinning as he held Jack up on his shoulders. Luca’s eyes flicked over, catching my gaze, and he gave a small nod.

Santino opened the car door for me.

---