Chapter 6 - The Garden of RebirthSix months later.
Spring had arrived in Long Island. The Rossi estate had been completely rebuilt—the bulletproof nursery replaced by a warm, sunlit suite filled with hand-carved wooden toys, soft pastel yellow walls, and giant glass windows overlooking a blooming botanical garden.
The terrifying hum of heart monitors and IV drips was long gone, replaced by the cheerful, energetic babbling of a healthy eight-month-old boy.
Leo was thriving. He was chubby, bright-eyed, and crawling enthusiastically across the plush wool rugs, chasing a golden retriever puppy we had adopted three weeks prior.
Standing on the sunlit terrace, watching him play, was Hunter.
She wore a simple, elegant ivory silk dress, her dark hair cascading down her back in soft waves. The hollow, haunted shadow in her eyes had been replaced by a quiet, radiant happiness.
I stepped onto the terrace behind her, wrapping my arms gently around her waist, resting my chin against her shoulder.
"You're thinking again," I murmured softly, kissing the side of her neck.
Hunter smiled, leaning back against my chest, covering my hands with hers. "I was just thinking about the night I walked up those nursery stairs."
"The best night of my life," I admitted sincerely.
"You pointed a gun at my head, Lorenzo," she laughed gently, turning around in my arms to face me.
"And you pointed a baby at my heart," I replied, a soft smile touching my lips. "I think you won that standoff."
In the months following the trial, Hunter had officially stepped into her role as the heart of our home. She wasn't just Leo’s wet nurse—she was his mother in every way that mattered. And to me, she was the woman who had brought light back into a life I thought was condemned to eternal darkness.
Together, we had established the Lily Higgins Foundation—a non-profit organization funded by the Rossi estate that provided secure housing, legal aid, and medical care for abused women and mothers in crisis across New York.
"Mateo called," Hunter said, resting her hands against my chest. "The new sanctuary shelter in Brooklyn opens next Tuesday."
"I know," I smiled, stroking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "And the board voted unanimously to name you the permanent Chairwoman of the foundation."
Hunter looked at me, her dark eyes sparkling with tears of joy. "Lorenzo... I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, my love," I whispered, reaching into my jacket pocket and pulling out a small, black velvet box.
I lowered myself onto one knee on the sunny terrace.
May you like
Hunter gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as I popped the latch open, revealing a flawless three-carat canary yellow diamond ring that caught the spring sunlight like fire.
"Hunter Higgins," I said, my voice steady, filled with a deep, unbreakable devotion. "You saved my son. You saved my soul. Will you make me the happiest man alive and become my wife?"
