Chapter 8 - Healing the Broken Pieces
Two months later.
The autumn leaves had fallen, making way for a gentle early winter snow that dusted the grounds of the coastal estate in Kennebunkport, Maine—Dominic’s private beachfront sanctuary.
Away from the noise of Boston and the memories of the past, we spent four weeks healing.
There were no security teams guarding every door now. No secret codes or dark rooms. Just the quiet rustle of pine trees, the rhythmic crashing of ocean waves against the rocks, and the sound of children playing.
In the spacious living room of the pine-paneled cabin, a massive stone fireplace crackled with warmth.
Leo and Lily were sitting on a plush wool rug, building an enormous wooden train track that spanned across the entire room.
“No, Lily,” Leo was saying patiently, adjusting a wooden bridge. “The dinosaur train has to cross the river first, then go to the station.”
“Okay, Captain Leo!” Lily giggled, placing a plastic T-Rex inside a toy train car.
Dominic sat on the leather sofa behind them, a laptop open on his knees, but he wasn't looking at stock markets or shipping manifests. He was watching his children.
I walked in from the kitchen carrying a tray of hot chocolate with floating marshmallows.
Dominic set his laptop aside, reaching up to wrap his hand around my wrist, pulling me down to sit on his lap. I laughed softly, setting the tray on the coffee table, and leaned back against his chest.
“You’re distracted today, Mr. Moretti,” I teased, running my fingers through his dark hair.
“I’m retired,” Dominic corrected smoothly, burying his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent. “I handed control of the shipping operations to Harrison Vance’s former honest directors yesterday. I’m just a full-time father now.”
“And a full-time husband-to-be?” I murmured.
Dominic stilled. He turned me around on his lap so I was facing him.
His dark eyes were soft, filled with a depth of love that still took my breath away every single day.
“Isabella,” he said softly, taking both my hands in his. “When I lost Elena, I thought my heart was buried in the ground with her. I thought my only purpose left on this earth was to survive and keep Leo breathing.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
“Then a beautiful, fierce woman walked into my kitchen,” Dominic continued, his voice thick with emotion. “She yelled at me for my silence. She taught my son how to laugh. And she showed me that a house isn't built of stone and security walls—it’s built of love.”
He opened the box.
Inside sat a breathtaking ring—a solitaire cushion-cut diamond set in a band of braided rose gold.
“Isabella,” Dominic whispered, looking into my eyes. “Will you marry me? Will you make this family whole?”
Before I could answer, two small figures scrambled onto the sofa beside us.
“Say yes, Mommy!” Lily shouted, jumping up and down on the cushions. “Say yes so Leo can be my real brother!”
Leo looked up at me, his dark eyes—so like his father's—shining with hope. “Please, Isabella? I want you to be my mom.”
Tears overflowed from my eyes, dropping onto our joined hands. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around Dominic’s neck, kissing him deeply.
May you like
“Yes!” I cried out against his lips. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!”
Dominic laughed—a rich, deep, joyful sound that echoed through the warm cabin—and pulled all three of us into a massive, tight family embrace.
