Chapter 9 - Spring in the Garden
Six months later.
The courtyard of the Kanti mansion was no longer a cold, forbidding stone museum.
Bright yellow daffodils bloomed along the gravel pathways. A wooden swing hung from the old oak tree near the garden wall, and the sound of childish laughter echoed through the open windows.
Matteo—now fourteen months old and walking with clumsy, determined steps—was chasing a red rubber ball across the lawn while Marisol watched from a wrought-iron bench, sipping iced tea with a wide grin.
Inside the study, Elena stood by the open French doors, looking out over the sunlit gardens.
A pair of strong arms slid around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a warm, solid chest. A familiar chin rested gently on her shoulder.
"You're daydreaming again," Daario murmured, his voice rich and steady, completely healed from the wounds of that violent night six months ago.
"I'm just thinking about how much my life has changed," Elena whispered, leaning back into his embrace, her hands resting over his arms. "Six months ago, I was hiding a baby in a basement room, terrified of your shadow."
"And now?" Daario asked, turning her gently in his arms so she was facing him. He looked down at her with an expression of profound, quiet devotion that he reserved for her alone.
"Now," Elena smiled, reaching up to gently touch the lapel of his tailored suit jacket, "I live in the master suite, I run the household, and I’m married to the most terrifying man in the city."
Daario chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that carried no shadows, only light. He leaned down and kissed her softly, lingeringly, right where the sun hit her cheek.
"Not terrifying," Daario corrected softly, wrapping his arms securely around her. "Just a man who finally found what he was looking for."
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Out in the garden, little Matteo let out a joyful shriek, kicked the red ball straight into a flowerbed, and toddled over toward the patio, holding his tiny arms up in the air.
Daario smiled, looking down at his son before looking back at Elena. The walls were gone. The cold stone house was finally a home.
