Chapter 202: I would protect her till my last breath.

Chapter 202: I would protect her till my last breath.
Leonardo

Raffaele's scream ripped out as the bullet tore through his arm, his gun clattering to the floor. Aurora stumbled forward, still bound, her gasp sharp with fear.

I was already moving, crossing the space in two strides. I yanked her behind me, my body a wall between her and him. “Stay down,” I ordered, my voice low but unyielding.

Chaos detonated. My men surged forward, one kicking Raffaele's weapon away while another tried to pin him. But Raffaele fought like a man possessed, blood soaking his sleeve as he swung wildly, catching one of my guards across the jaw.

I stepped in, gun lowered now—I wanted him down, not dead, not yet. He lunged at me, his other hand producing a hidden blade, a wild slash barely missing my ribs. I caught his wrist, twisting hard; the knife clattered to the ground.

“You think you can take her from me?” he spat, teeth bared.

“She was never yours.”

I shoved him back, but he rebounded, grabbing a heavy chair and swinging it in a desperate arc. I ducked, the chair splintering against the wall. My men closed in, but he shoved one aside, his back hitting the cracked glass of the floor-to-ceiling window.

For a second, everything slowed. His wild eyes darted between me, Aurora-cowering behind my men—and the shattered pane behind him.

“Raffaele!” I barked, stepping forward. “Don't—”

He lunged again, blade reclaimed from the floor, a guttural roar tearing from his throat. I caught his arm, momentum carrying us both into the weakened glass.

The pane gave way with a deafening crash. His eyes went wide-rage, disbelief, and the cold bite of reality-before he tumbled backward into the night, glass raining down around him.

The sound of his body hitting the pavement below was sickeningly final.

The room held its breath, the stench of gunpowder and fear lingering in the air.

Aurora collapsed against me, her trembling form knocking the air from my chest. I wrapped her in my arms, feeling her pulse race against mine. “It's over,” I murmured into her hair, the words more for her than for me.

Behind us, Emily had sunk to the floor, sobbing silently, her face pale and hollow. Eleonora stood frozen, shock etched into every line of her expression.

I pressed a hand to the back of Aurora's head, grounding her. “You're safe now. I've got you.”

To my men, my voice was steel. “Secure the area.

Clean up this mess.”

They moved immediately, silent professionals, leaving me in the eye of the storm with the woman who meant everything to me.

I looked down at Aurora, her fear-streaked face buried in my chest and I held her tighter, my mind dark with the same unshakable thought: I saved her again…but for how long?

Because every rescue only made it clearer—someone would always come for her.

Someone would always want to use her to get to me. And this was my job as her future husband. I was the one who signed up for this.

Which meant I would protect her till my last breath.

\~~~~~~

Aurora

Brush bristles sweep across my cheeks, soft as a whisper. Layers of warm light bloom on my skin, and I blink at my reflection. The face staring back at me feels familiar yet changed—like I’ve been remade.

It’s my wedding day.

The hum of the room folds around me—stylists flitting in and out, fabric rustling, the faint click of camera shutters capturing stolen moments. Beneath it all, my thoughts churn.

Raffaele’s laugh still echoes in the darker corners of my memory. Emily’s broken sob. The sting of a gun barrel pressed to my temple. And Leonardo, appearing as if summoned by my fear, saving me again. He didn’t let me out of his sight for days afterward. Maybe even weeks. I barely had the chance to breathe without his hand finding mine, his gaze checking if I was still there.

But that’s all behind me now.

I glance at the veil draped across my lap, its lace edges trembling as if alive. This isn’t like the last time I was made up like this. Then, it had felt like I was being dressed for someone else’s life, playing a part I wasn’t sure I wanted. Now, I’m here for me.

For him.

The air fizzes with the giddy energy of my friends. They’re all excited for me, and happy I was getting what I wanted. I could tell Emily was still broken but she was trying to be strong and heal for all of us.

We’re at the end of the hall now, and the door opens. My father steps in by my side, pride carving new lines into his familiar face. His arm will be the one that walks me down the aisle today. Because he supports this marriage.

And waiting at the end of it was him.

Leonardo.

I can almost feel his smile from here, the way his beautiful brown eyes light when they find me.

Time blurs. I’m walking, veil fluttering like a captive breath. I glance around for my friends.

Emily sits in the second row, her smile small but real—still healing, but she’s here. Lucia leans close, whispering something that makes her giggle, and Enzo rolls his eyes, hiding a smile of his own while his fingers are clasped around Lucia’s.

I catch a glimpse of my sister on the other side of the hall, Eleonora’s soft gaze meeting mine. Beside her stands her mum.

My stepmom—well not yet. She sat, tentative but present, her remorse carried in the way her fingers twist nervously around her clutch. She has realized her mistake and is trying to make up for it. Who knows? Maybe… just maybe we can be a big family again. I know Mum would want that.

And then I’m at the altar, his warm hands closing around mine.

He tells me that I’m beautiful and that he couldn’t take his eyes off me. I blush and compliment him, saying something about how dashing and unfairly good he looked in his suit.

And his smile gave me a dizzy rush in my chest.

The priest begins the vows. Words rise and fall like the steady beating of a heart, and something curls low in my gut, sharp and overwhelming.

Happiness.

That’s what it is.

I was finally getting what I wanted.

I was standing with the man I love, and we were going to have a happy life with the one I love.

And I know—whatever comes, we’ll face it together.

Because Leonardo is my safe harbor, my greatest gamble, and my only certainty.

And with him, I am finally home.