The stone floor was so cold that Adeline felt the chill before she felt the pain. She lay on her side, one shoulder pressing against the arm of the man who had just lunged toward her, and for a moment neither of them moved

Six months later.

The Vicaro estate was no longer the cold, intimidating fortress it had once been. The grand windows were opened to let the summer breeze drift through the high stone hallways, and the sound of children's laughter echoed across the manicured gardens.

Down in the east wing, June—now completely healthy, her cheeks flushed with rosy color—was chasing a young golden retriever puppy across the velvet lawn. Birdie sat on a nearby bench, sipping tea and watching the young girl with a soft, affectionate smile.

Inside the library, where the cold marble fireplace had once witnessed fear and conspiracy, light poured in through the glass doors.

Adeline stood by the mahogany desk, wearing a simple, beautiful cream summer dress. She wasn't carrying a feather duster or wearing a maid's apron. She was holding a leather ledger—not one filled with dark secrets, but the foundation ledgers for the newly established June Vance Children's Medical Foundation, a charity she and Alio had founded together.

Strong arms wrapped gently around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a warm, broad chest.

Alio rested his chin softly on her shoulder, looking out at June playing in the garden. "Are you happy, my love?" he asked softly.

Adeline turned in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. She looked into the dark eyes of the man who had pulled her from the wreckage of her past, the man who had torn down his own empire's shadows just to build a safe world for her.

"I used to count the rungs," Adeline whispered, smiling as she kissed his cheek. "Counting every step, waiting for the wood to break, waiting for the fall."