Chapter 7: The Empire of Our Own and the Sovereign Sunrise
"You know, looking at you right now, my queen," Dante murmured softly against my hair with a warm, immensely proud smile, "I still remember the woman in the cathedral wrapped in my coat, shaking like a leaf. Look at you now. You run the art world, you command this city, and you rule my heart." I smiled warmly, leaning back against his strong chest as I took a slow, grounding sip of my espresso while watching the morning light dance across the sparkling Manhattan skyline. I had been humiliated, betrayed, and left for dead by a coward who thought I was entirely alone and helpless. But a dangerous, powerful king had stepped out of the shadows, handed me his coat, and helped me burn down the cages built around my life. Looking down at my daughter’s bright, smiling face and up at the man who loved me with all his soul, I knew with absolute certainty that the nightmare in that cathedral wasn't the end of my story—it was simply the brutal, necessary crucible that forged my true, unbreakable, and sovereign happily-ever-after.
