Chapter 28 Chapter 28
Dante's POV – A Morning of Quiet, a Storm of Truth
When I open my eyes, the world is silent except for the soft rhythm of her breathing beside me.
Lily.
She lies tucked into my side, her face serene, framed by her loose hair cascading across the pillow like strands of midnight silk. There’s a faint crease between her brows—probably from all the pain she’s endured—but in this moment, that worry is gone. She’s peaceful. And damn, I haven’t seen her like this in what feels like forever.
I’ve watched her crumble and rise from her own ashes more times than I can count. I saw her fall apart after losing my brother. Then I watched her break again after losing their unborn child—something so delicate, so full of hope, taken away before it even had a chance. She never asked for anyone to save her. But I stayed. Every single day, I stayed.
And somehow, through her pain, she began healing me too.
She stirs slightly, her lashes fluttering open as her eyes find mine.
“Good morning, Dante,” she whispers, her voice soft and almost sleepy.
“Good morning, sunshine.” I smile and press a kiss to her forehead, feeling the warmth of her skin.
I don’t know why this woman has this effect on me. I’ve grown up in a world soaked in blood and bound by power, born into the chaos of the mafia where emotions are a weakness and love is a liability. But she makes life feel like a poem. With her, I forget who I am, or rather—I remember who I want to be.
While she disappears into the bathroom for a shower, I get up and call the villa owner. The landslide has been cleared, the road is safe now. I thank him and hang up, ordering us something light for breakfast. When Lily steps out of the bathroom, steam trailing behind her, her skin glowing and her hair damp, I take my turn under the hot water.
But damn, I can’t shake the image of her from last night.
Naked, vulnerable, standing in that shower, asking for help so innocently. She looked at me like I was the only man alive—and God help me, it stirred something deep and dangerous in me.
By the time we’re both dressed, she’s back in the same grey summer dress from yesterday. It clings to her in all the right places, light and effortless, like she’s carved from sunlight and breeze. We eat quietly at the villa restaurant, the rain from last night now just a memory clinging to the glass.
“Time to head home,” I tell her after we finish.
She nods, but her eyes tell me a different story.
“Can you just take me somewhere far from all this chaos for once?” she murmurs.
I glance at her, caught off guard.
“You want to escape with me, sunshine?” I chuckle, but there’s a seriousness behind the joke.
“Yeah.” She nods, eyes soft and pleading.
I open the car door for her when we reach the parking lot. “Thank you,” she whispers as she slides in.
On the drive, I rest my hand on her thigh instead of the gearshift. She glances down, then intertwines her fingers with mine and rests our hands together. That small gesture—it wrecks me more than she’ll ever know.
When we reach her penthouse, I don’t want to let go. But I do. She needs time. She needs space. And I have to handle the weight of something else.
I leave and head toward the godfather’s mansion.
His guards let me in without a word. I step inside, the old estate looming like a castle from another era. I find him in his study, sitting behind that enormous desk carved from oak, the windows behind him casting faint shadows across his face.
“You called me,” I say.
He looks up and nods. “How’s Lily?” he asks, and there’s a flicker of softness in his usually stoic voice.
“She’s fine. She was with me. We got stuck in a villa because of a landslide.”
“And how does she feel… being with you?”
I pause. My chest tightens at the thought of her smile from this morning. “Happy. Peaceful. Carefree.”
He leans back into his chair like a king contemplating war. Then his expression shifts—more serious, heavier. “I have something important to tell you, but it stays between us. Give me your word, Dante.”
“You have it,” I reply. “You can trust me.”
Then he says it.
“Sebastian is not dead.”
The air leaves my lungs.
I blink once, twice—my mind scrambling to make sense of the words.
“What?”
“He’s alive. The Bratva took him,” the godfather explains, voice low but heavy with meaning. “They gave me a choice—my life or his. Then they turned it around. They threatened Lily. Said they’d kill her if he didn’t come with them. And Sebastian didn’t even hesitate. He agreed to go to Russia.”
He leans forward now, elbows on the desk, face carved from stone.
“I had to announce his death to protect her. To protect him. We buried an empty casket. But last night, after two and a half months, I received a coded message. It was from Sebastian. He’s alive. Still there. He said to stay alert—the Bratva is planning something. He asked about Lily. He said to look after her. And he doesn’t know if he’ll ever come back.”
I sit there, stunned.
A part of me feels a strange relief. My brother—my blood—isn’t gone. But another part of me aches. For what he’s enduring. For what we’ve all lost.
“I want you to take Lily to Sicily,” the godfather continues. “Somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. I’ll tell her it’s for a job, that you’re needed there and she has to go with you. But really, it’s to keep her away from whatever storm the Bratva is brewing.”
“I agree,” I nod, though my voice is hoarse. “But I want to bring back my brother. As a brother… I want him home.”
“It’s not that easy, Dante!” he snaps, a rare edge in his voice. “Do you think, with all the power I have, I haven’t tried? They’re ghosts. Dangerous ones. And they’ve kept him hidden for a reason.”
I clench my jaw. My fists curl at my sides.
Why is life so damn complicated?
Love, loyalty, pain—it’s all tangled in a web of secrets and sacrifice. And now, I carry another one.
Sebastian is alive.
But for Lily’s sake… she can’t know. Not yet.
And so, I will take her to Sicily. I will guard her. Hold her if she cries. Make her laugh again if I can. And when the time comes, if fate allows it, I will bring my brother home.
Even if it means walking through fire.