Page 152 of Beneath the Shadows

Antonio’s eyes glisten with unshed tears, and the connection between us hums with unspoken words— more powerful than anything I could ever say.

We exchange rings—simple platinum bands engraved with the wordsNel tuo amore, sono libero. In your love, I am free.

Father Bill offers a gentle smile, his expression serene as he speaks the words that seal our union. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Before I can fully absorb the moment, Antonio pulls me into his arms, his lips meeting mine in a kiss that’s soft yet powerful, infused with everything we’ve been through and all the promises of what’s to come.

The cheers of our family swirl around us, distant yet comforting, but in this moment, it’s just us—completely lost in the world we’ve built together, standing at the threshold of our future.

In his arms, with our love enveloping us, I feel a peace so deep it anchors my soul to his. I know, with unwavering certainty, that this is where I’m meant to be—today, tomorrow, and forever.

Epilogue- Antonio

THREE YEARS LATER

The soft sound of Marco’s laughter fills the room, echoing through the quiet space like the sweetest melody. He’s on his knees, his chubby little hands busy with toy cars, blissfully unaware of anything other than his play.

I watch him—this boy, my son who’s so full of life and light. Marco Giovanni. His name carries a piece of the past, a legacy I vowed to honor. Yet his presence feels like a gift from a world beyond, something I don’t deserve but can’t bear to lose.

I lean back, letting the years and memories settle over me like a shroud. My eyes drift to Alessia, resting on the couch, her hand lovingly cradling her belly, where our second child grows in the quiet warmth. We chose not to learn the baby’s gender, savoring life’s last mystery. Her beauty, even now as she drifts between sleep and waking, is effortless.

Alessia’s touched my heart in ways no one else ever could. She’s the light that pulls me from the darkness that once consumed me. Without her, I’d still be lost, adrift in that endless night I once knew too well. She speaks of the freedom I gave her, but she doesn’t understand—she’s the one who unlocked the chains and opened the cage that imprisoned me.

I wasn’t always a man capable of love. Darkness was my only companion for so long. My world was one of chaos, blood, and violence. Of endless nights filled with uncertainty and fear I could not escape."All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”That was my existence. I was adrift, caught in an endless spiral of nightmares I wasn’t sure I’d ever wake from—survive.

Alessia’s my beacon in this world of shadows. The thought pulls at something deep inside me—a truth I’ve come to learn. “Her love had given me a new sense of life, a new sense of being. The world was no longer dark and dreary."I’ve learned this truth well—my life, my soul, is wrapped in shadows, in secrets. But Alessia, and now our children, are the beauty that balances it all.

As I look at Marco, so full of life, and then at Alessia I understand something with a certainty that chills and comforts me at once.“The boundaries which divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague.”I’ve walked that line and seen what lies on the other side. I know death as an old companion. I’ve walked in its shadowy silence, but each day, I choose life.

I choose them.

Marco’s laughter rises, filling the room. His toy cars rumble over my feet.

“Broom. Broom. You’re a big mountain, Daddy,” he squeals, and I smile at his innocence and joy.

As if she can sense the depth of my thoughts, Alessia stirs. Her eyes meet mine, so soft and full of love. Her smile—God, it still takes my breath away.“My life, my soul, my bride.”She’s the reason behind every decision I make, the guiding star that leads me through the darkest night.

“The truest and most beautiful love that ever warmed a human heart.”That’s how I feel when I look at her. Her love doesn’t just warm my heart—it saves me, day after day, in ways I’ll never fully deserve.

In a world that seeks to tear me apart, she makes me whole. And as long as I have mytesoro, as long as I hear my son’s laughter, the darkness will never swallow me again.

And so, I sit here, in the quiet peace of our home, watching my son play and feeling the unconditional love of my wife, I understand. I’ll always feel the pull of the abyss whispering to me like a forgotten memory. I’ll always carry shadows within me. That darkness is a part of who I am, a part of the world we navigate. The world we rule together. When I need, I embrace it—welcome it.

But I no longer fear it.

Together, we’ve forged something beautiful from the darkness that once threatened to consume us.

To love her is to love life itself.

And so it is for me.

THE END

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