Chapter 10 - The Portrait of a Family (Epilogue)
One year later.
The wedding was the event of the decade, but Dante kept the guest list strictly to family and trusted allies.
The grand ballroom of the Russo estate was decorated with thousands of white roses.
Nico stood as the best man, looking uncomfortable but incredibly proud in his tuxedo.
The music started.
First came Mia, Bella, and Lily. They wore identical white dresses with flower crowns in their auburn hair. They walked down the aisle tossing rose petals, giggling as the guests smiled at them.
Then, the doors opened.
Elena took everyone’s breath away.
She wore a custom silk gown that flowed like water, her dark-blond hair styled elegantly, glowing with absolute happiness.
As she walked down the aisle, Dante felt his eyes sting.
He remembered the cold, starving girl in the freezing apartment. He remembered the empty grave he had visited for seven years.
And now, here she was. His wife. His queen.
When Elena reached the altar, Dante took her hands, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles.
“You are my life,” Dante vowed in front of everyone. “You and our daughters. I fought through hell to find you, and I will spend heaven making sure you never shed another tear of sorrow.”
Elena smiled through her happy tears. “You are our protector, Dante. Our prince, and our beast. I love you, in this life and the next.”
They kissed, and the room erupted into cheers.
Later that night, after the guests had left and the girls were tucked safely into their beds, Dante and Elena walked hand-in-hand down the main hallway of the mansion.
Dante stopped in front of a new painting hanging in the center of the gallery wall, perfectly illuminated by a spotlight.
It was the painting he had bought on Newbury Street.
The crude, beautiful portrait of Elena that the girls had tried to sell to buy medicine.
Next to it hung a new painting, done by Lily. It showed five figures holding hands under a bright yellow sun: A tall man, a beautiful woman, and three little girls.
Dante wrapped his arm around Elena’s waist, pulling her close.
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“We bought a masterpiece that day on the street,” Dante whispered into her ear.
“No,” Elena replied, resting her head against his chest, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart. “We bought our future.”
