Chapter 174

Chapter 174
The hours at the spa passed as if the world had finally decided to be kind to me. Between laughter, massages, sweet scents, and that rare feeling of not needing to be alert, I almost forgot who I was before the chaos. I almost forgot the weight I'd carried for so long. Almost.

That's when I looked at the clock.

"— Nancy…" my voice came out higher than I expected. "— We have twenty minutes to be back."

She opened her eyes slowly, as if she'd just woken from a wonderful dream.

"— Twenty minutes for what?"

"— Home. Vincenzo said he wanted to do something special tonight."

Nancy sat up with a start, her robe slipping off one shoulder.

"— Special like… really special?"

"— I have no idea. And that's making me slightly nervous."

I thanked the spa girls with a sincere smile. They smiled back as if they knew something I didn't—which definitely didn't help. Nancy, as if she were living her best self, grabbed a cupcake from the nearest table and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth.

"For the trip," she justified, her voice muffled.

We practically ran out, getting straight into the mansion's car, where the driver was already waiting for us. The drive back was too silent for my liking.

"It was fun," I said, trying to break the ice.

Nancy nodded, still chewing.

The driver looked in the rearview mirror and smiled.

"A special day, isn't it, Ms. Rachel?"

I frowned.

"Special how?"

He just smiled again. That knowing smile. Mysterious. Dangerous.

"Everyone knows something except me?" I asked.

Silence.

I crossed my arms, feigning indignation, but my heart started beating differently. A sweet premonition. Anxious.

When we arrived at the mansion, my breath caught in my throat. The place was… beautiful. Soft lights illuminated the garden. Flowers I didn't remember seeing before decorated the entrance. Everything seemed carefully thought out.

We climbed the stairs and, before I could call out to anyone, two women approached.

"Mrs. Rachel," they said in unison. "We're here to dress you."

I blinked a few times.

"Dress me… for what?"

"A surprise from Mr. Morette."

I looked at Nancy, who smiled so broadly that I knew immediately: she knew.

"You knew about this?" I whispered.

"Perhaps," she replied, too innocent to convince anyone.

I took a deep breath and nodded. The women guided me delicately, as if I were something fragile and precious. When they began to lift something near my eyes, I stopped.

"What is this?"

"It's part of the surprise."

I smiled. A nervous smile. Amused. Strangely happy.

"All right." The blindfold covered my eyes, and in that instant, I lost my sight… but I gained something much greater: anticipation.

I was guided down the hallway, feeling the light touch of their hands, hearing footsteps, doors opening. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure everyone could hear.

The scent changed. Flowers. Candles. Something familiar… something that made me feel at home.

When the blindfold was removed, it took me a few seconds to catch my breath.

The room was transformed. Petals scattered on the floor. Soft lights. And, at the center of it all, Vincenzo.

He was there, elegant, serious, and at the same time completely vulnerable. Rafael was beside him, holding something in his hands. A shy, proud smile.

"Rachel…" Vincenzo's voice was firm, but full of emotion. "For a long time, I believed I didn't deserve any of this. Love. Family. Peace. But you taught me that the past doesn't have to define the future."

My chest tightened. Tears came before I could stop them. “—You came into my life as a deal,” he continued. “And you became everything.”

He knelt down.

The world stopped.

“Rachel… will you marry me? Officially. Forever. With everything we are… and everything we will be.”

Rafael held out the little box. He looked at me and said softly,

“—I really wanted you to be my mother.”

That’s when I broke down.

“—Yes,” I replied, crying, laughing, trembling. “—Yes. A thousand times yes.”

Vincenzo hugged me as if promising never to let go. Nancy appeared crying, clapping, knocking over a vase in the process—and, for some reason, that made everything even more perfect.

I could barely breathe when Vincenzo stepped back just enough to kneel before me. The world seemed to lose sound for a moment. He held a small, dark box in his firm hands, but his eyes… his eyes betrayed everything he felt.

When he opened the box, I knew there was no turning back.

The ring was absurdly beautiful. A huge, classic, imposing diamond—just like him. But still, its brilliance didn't even come close to what I felt in my chest.

"Rachel…" he said my name as if it were…

An old promise finally fulfilled.

He placed the ring on my finger with almost reverent care. My hands trembled. My whole body trembled. Vincenzo stood and kissed me urgently, lovingly, with relief. A kiss that carried everything we survived. Everything we lost. Everything we chose.

He hugged me tightly. There were no words. They weren't necessary.

Then, he broke the silence.

He extended his arm to me, elegant, confident.

"They're waiting for us."

I blinked a few times.

"Who?"

He smiled in that rare way. Free. Happy.

"Our guests."

I took his arm, still somewhat dazed, and together we descended the mansion's stairs. Each step seemed like a ritual. Each step, a farewell to chaos… and an embrace of the future.

When we reached the garden, my legs almost gave way.

There it was.

An entire ceremony prepared for us. Flowers everywhere. Soft lighting. Chairs occupied by people who, in some way, were part of our story—directly or indirectly. Nancy waved as if she were in a parade, wiping away tears and smiling at the same time. Rafael was there, impeccable, proud, with that smile that now lived inside me.

I cried.

I cried shamelessly. I cried with happiness. I cried for everything we almost lost.

As we walked to the altar, Vincenzo leaned slightly and whispered:

"All the loose ends of our story… we're going to tie them up. Oliver. Veronica. Any shadow that still exists. But not alone. Never again."

I looked at him, my heart open, exposed, alive.

"We're going to solve it together," he continued. "As husband and wife. I need you. I need Rafael. I need Nancy. This mansion… this life… only makes sense with all of us here."

My chest ached with love.

Facing the altar, he held my hands firmly.

"I love you, Rachel."

"I love you too," I replied, without hesitation, as if I had waited my whole life to say it.

The priest began the ceremony, but the world seemed to slow down. Time became gentle. Only the two of us existed. Our twisted past. Our firm present. Our possible future.

When the priest finally said the groom could kiss the bride, Vincenzo didn't waste a second.

He kissed me as if sealing an ancient pact. An intense, chaotic, improbable—but true—love.

As the applause echoed, I smiled and murmured close to his lips:

"Thinking about it… we're kind of masochistic, aren't we? Destiny seems to put us in impossible situations on purpose."

He smiled in a dangerously familiar way.

"Slaves of destiny?" he teased.

"Maybe."

— I prefer to think that we are… — he whispered in my ear — slaves to pleasure.

I laughed, feeling that familiar shiver run down my spine.

— Then — I replied — I also have a surprise for you later.

His eyes sparkled.

We kissed again.

And, within our chaotic, imperfect, and intense reality… we lived happily ever after.

In our own way.