Two days before my wedding, my father informed me that I was being handed over to one of New York’s most feared crime families—and refusing would cost me everything. But the real shock came on my wedding night, when the man who had already decided I was a spoiled, reckless party girl discovered the one truth nobody knew: I had never been touched.

One year later.

The master suite of our penthouse was filled with soft morning sunlight.

I sat near the floor-to-ceiling windows in a plush armchair, dressed in a comfortable cream cardigan, holding a tiny, dark-haired baby wrapped in a soft blue cashmere blanket.

Our son—Leo Carmine Santoro—was three weeks old, resting peacefully against my chest, his dark little eyelashes fluttering as he slept.

The bedroom door opened quietly, and Niko stepped inside. He had removed his jacket and tie, his dark hair slightly messy, looking at us with an expression of such profound tenderness that it brought tears to my eyes every time I saw it.

He walked over to the armchair, dropping to one knee beside us.

He reached out his large, calloused hand, gently stroking our son's soft cheek with his thumb.

"Is he sleeping?" Niko whispered.

"He just finished eating," I smiled, leaning over to kiss Niko’s forehead. "He has your eyes, you know."

"Poor kid," Niko teased softly, a faint smile touching his lips. "He's going to have to deal with his mother's terrifying intelligence."

"And his father's unstoppable stubbornness," I added gently.

Niko looked at me, his gray eyes filled with a peace that he had spent his entire life searching for in the dark alleys of Manhattan.

"We built something real out of a lie, Evelyn," Niko said softly, taking my hand in his, kissing my knuckles. "No more debts. No more dark rooms. Just us."

I looked out the window at the gleaming Manhattan skyline below—the city that had once felt like a terrifying cage, but now felt like a horizon full of endless light and freedom.

I pulled Niko closer, resting my head against his shoulder as our son slept peacefully between us.

The contract was over. The war was won.