Chapter 10 - The Vow of the Moretti Family
That night, at 12:47 AM, the estate was bathed in quiet starlight.
In the master suite, Alessandro lay awake, resting his back against the tall leather headboard. Elena was fast asleep beside him, her head resting peacefully against his chest, one arm draped over his waist. Her breathing was steady, slow, and completely calm.
On the nightstand, Alessandro’s phone lit up with a silent notification.
A live camera feed from the nursery.
Alessandro gently adjusted his position so as not to wake Elena, picked up the phone, and tapped the screen.
The camera, now fully integrated into his private, encrypted network, showed the sunlit nursery illuminated by a soft, warm night-light.
In the small white toddler bed, Mia was fast asleep, tucked safely beneath her pink blanket. Beside her, Mabel rested securely on her small mahogany pillow.
In the crib three feet away, baby Sophia was sleeping on her side, her thumb tucked softly into her mouth, her breathing quiet and deep.
There were no tears. No screaming. No dark clouds.
On the screen, Mia stirred slightly in her sleep. She reached her small arm out over the edge of her toddler bed, extending her little hand across the three-foot gap until her fingers rested against the wooden slats of Sophia’s crib.
And in her sleep, baby Sophia’s hand moved forward, her tiny fingers locking around Mia’s index finger, holding tight.
Alessandro stared at the small screen for a long time, feeling a warmth flood his chest that washed away the last lingering ashes of his past grief. The broken pieces of his life, his home, and his heart had finally been mended—not by iron gates, money, or guns, but by the pure, stubborn love of a three-year-old girl and her mother.
Alessandro set the phone back on the nightstand, wrapped his strong arms securely around Elena, and pulled her closer against his heart.
He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss into her dark hair, whispering a single, silent vow into the dark room.
May you like
“I will protect you both until my last breath.”
And for the first time in eleven months, the master of Moretti Manor closed his eyes and slept soundly through the night.
