Chapter 9 – THE NEW FOUNDATION

Three weeks later, the Vitale mansion looked completely different.

The heavy velvet curtains were tied back, letting the morning sunlight flood the foyer.

The expensive, sterile art that Bianca had chosen was gone.

In its place hung warm, colorful landscapes, and right above the mantle was a framed child’s drawing of a house with a yellow sun.

Sebastian had kept his word.

He dismantled his father’s criminal empire piece by piece, turning the legitimate businesses over to a trust, and shutting down the rest.

He wasn’t a mob boss anymore. He was just a man.

I walked into the kitchen, carrying a basket of fresh laundry.

I wasn’t in my housekeeper uniform. I wore jeans and a comfortable sweater.

Sarah was sitting at the island, laughing as Leo tried to build a tower out of pancakes.

Sebastian walked in, holding a steaming mug of coffee.

He kissed the top of Leo’s head, smiled at Sarah, and then walked over to me.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, kissing my cheek.

“Morning,” he murmured.

“Morning,” I smiled. “Did you check on Miss Flo?”

“She’s awake. Demanding her tea with exactly two cubes of sugar, just like always.”

We had moved Florence into the master suite on the first floor. She would never take another train across Chicago again. She was home.

Life was quiet. It was safe.

Until the doorbell rang.

I wiped my hands on a towel and walked to the front door.

I opened it, expecting the postman.

Instead, a tall man in a dark trench coat stood on the porch. He looked tired, his face unshaven.

He looked down at me, his eyes widening.

“Grace?” he whispered.

My breath caught in my throat.

I stepped back, grabbing the doorframe to keep from falling.

It was David.

Sarah’s husband. The man who had abandoned her two years ago.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed, anger surging through my veins.

David held up a trembling hand.

He wasn’t holding a weapon. He was holding a delicate, woven gold bracelet.

Sarah’s bracelet. The one she had pawned to pay for rent the month he left.

“I didn’t run away, Grace,” David said, his voice breaking. “They took me.”

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