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My hands were shaking so badly I nearly dropped the pregnancy test onto the bathroom floor, because those two pink lines didn’t just mean I was pregnant. They meant I was carrying the child of Alessandro Vitali, the most feared mafia heir in Chicago, and if he discovered the truth, I had no idea whether he would protect me or destroy me. / Chapter 6 / 6

Chapter 6 - A Crown of Thorns and Gold

I swallowed hard, my chin trembling, but I forced myself to meet his intense amber gaze head-on. “Yes,” I whispered into the quiet room. “I’m pregnant. But you will never take my baby away from me. If you’re going to kill me, do it now, but leave Liam out of this.”

For a long, agonizing moment, Alessandro didn't move. The terrifying warlord of Chicago stood frozen, the fierce mask of absolute control cracking to reveal a vulnerability I never knew he possessed. His jaw tightened, and his chest heaved as the reality of my words sank into his soul.

Then, to my utter shock, he motioned with his hand, and the operative holding Liam immediately released him, stepping back into a defensive posture.

Liam stumbled forward, coughing, and instinctively pulled me back toward his side, shielding me with his body. But Alessandro didn't look at Liam anymore; his eyes were locked entirely on me, burning with a fierce, possessive intensity that defied everything I had feared.

“Kill you?” Alessandro muttered, a dark, self-deprecating laugh escaping his lips. He stepped closer, dropping down onto one knee right in front of me, ignoring the dirty linoleum floor of our cheap apartment. He reached out, his warm palm gently resting over my stomach where our child lay growing.

“You think I hunted you down across the city to destroy you, Elizabeth?” he asked softly, his voice thick with emotion. “From the moment you dropped that champagne tray in my hands, you became the only real thing in my entire world. I didn't care about your fake name. I knew who you were before you walked out of Room 1520.”

I stared down at him, my breath catching in my throat. “You... you knew?”

“I know everything about the people who enter my orbit,” he confessed, looking up with raw honesty. “I knew about your nursing school dreams, your parents, your quiet struggle. I gave you space because I wanted you to choose me, not fear me. But when you disappeared... I thought I lost you forever.”

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, flipping it open to reveal a magnificent diamond ring that caught the dim overhead light, casting brilliant sparks across the room. It wasn't just any ring; it was an heirloom piece, flashing with diamonds and deep amber stones that matched his eyes.

“You are carrying my heir, Elizabeth. You are carrying my heart,” Alessandro said, his voice ringing with absolute, unyielding authority. “You will never work another double shift at a diner. You will never have to look over your shoulder again. Marry me, take your rightful place by my side as queen of this city, and let me spend the rest of my life protecting what is mine.”

I stood paralyzed in the center of the ruined apartment, the chaos of our past colliding with an impossible, breathtaking future. Liam gave me a subtle, reassuring nod from beside me, silently telling me that survival—and perhaps even happiness—lay down this terrifying path.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, I looked down at the most feared man in Chicago kneeling at my feet, and gently placed my hand over his.

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“Yes,” I whispered.

The dark empire of the Vitali family had once been built on blood and shadows, but as Alessandro slid the heavy diamond ring onto my finger and stood to pull me into his arms, I knew our story would write a very different ending. We had stepped out of the dark and into the fire, and together, we were untouchable.

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