Chapter 7 - The Sovereign Queen of ChicagoOne year after the night a desperate hand gesture in a crowded Italian restaurant changed the trajectory of my existence
As we exchanged vows under an arch of white roses, promising to protect, honor, and stand beside one another through every storm, the heavy shadows of my past felt like a lifetime ago. The abusive apartment, the bruised wrists, the terror of the restaurant table—they were all ghosts buried deep in the dirt, incinerated by the unyielding fire of a man who saw a silent plea in the dark and refused to look away. Following the ceremony, as we stood on the private terrace overlooking the glittering Chicago skyline, Matteo wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder as fireworks exploded in brilliant colors across the night sky above Lake Michigan. "You saved me that night, Genevieve," he murmured softly against my ear. I turned in his arms, smiling as I wrapped my hands around his neck, knowing with absolute certainty that we had saved each other, stepping out of the dark and into a sovereign, unbreakable empire of our own.
