Chapter 8 - THE SIEGE OF SAINT JUDE’S
Before the new trust could be finalized legally, one final ghost of the past needed to be laid to rest.
Julian’s memorial service was held at the historical Chapel of Saint Jude on a high bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was a private ceremony—just Dante, Clara, me, baby Lily, Matteo, and Rosa.
The autumn wind whipped off the blue ocean, carrying the crisp scent of salt and pine as we stood around the dark marble headstone engraved with Julian's name.
Clara laid a bouquet of white lilies on the polished stone, her eyes filled with peaceful tears as she said her final goodbye to the man she had loved.
Dante stepped forward, placing his hand on the marble marker.
"Rest now, little brother," Dante spoke softly into the wind. "The corrupt are gone. Your daughter is safe. Your trust is secure. And your family is whole."
I walked up beside Dante, wrapping my arm around his waist and resting my head against his shoulder. Dante wrapped his long arm around me, pulling me tight against his side as we looked out at the vast, shining horizon of the ocean.
May you like
There were no more enemies hunting us in the dark. No more black Suburbans without plates. No more empty bank accounts or cold, tearful nights in a crumbling apartment.
The shadows that had haunted our lives had finally been burned away by the light of a new morning.
