I Saved His Daughter And The Mafia Boss Won’t Let Me Leave Chapter 14
My eyes sting. My nose burns. I’m trying really hard not to cry and I’m losing.
My whole marriage to Derek , everything I did was just… expected. Like I was a machine. Cook, clean, carry, repeat. Nobody ever said thank you. Nobody noticed. Nobody cared.
And now this man is sitting here telling me he saw all of it.
Every single thing.
My voice comes out cracked. “I already did the marriage thing once. It wrecked me. I don’t know if I can do that again.”
Roman picks up the ring. He doesn’t put it on my finger.
He sets it in my palm. Folds my fingers around it. Gentle.
“Then don’t. Not yet.”
“We don’t need a piece of paper. I’ll figure out the Lily situation another way.”
“Whenever you’re ready — if you’re ever ready — just tell me.”
He looks at me. No pressure. No rush. Just steady.
“I’ll be right here.”
I don’t sleep that night.
I lie in the dark and I can’t turn my brain off. His face keeps showing up behind my eyelids. The way he stumbled over his words like a teenager. The way he stood between me and Derek without a second of hesitation. The way his voice cracked when he said stay with me.
I turn over. Stare at the ceiling. Turn over again.
The ring is on the nightstand. I pick it up. Put it down. Pick it up again.
At some point the sun comes up and I realize I’ve been holding it for hours.
I put it on.
I go find Roman and grab the handles of his chair.
“Let’s go.”
He doesn’t ask where until we pull up outside City Hall.
He goes still.
“Sera. You sure about this?”
“Nope.”
I take a deep breath. Let it out slow.
“But I wanna try.”
“And not just for Lily.”
I rub the back of my neck. I can’t look at him.
“I think… I don’t know. I think maybe I’m not ready to lose you yet.”
He stares at me for a few seconds.
Then he laughs. A real one. The kind I’ve never heard from him before — wide open and warm and surprised, like he didn’t know he still had it in him.
When they take our photo, he won’t stay in the chair.
He grabs the edge of the counter and hauls himself up next to me. His legs are shaking. I can see the sweat on his neck.
But his arm around my waist? Rock steady.
The clerk stamps the certificate. It’s done.
Lily launches herself at both of us so hard she nearly takes us all down.
“Mommy and Daddy got gold stars now, right?”
“Mommy’s really, really staying forever now, right?”
I scoop her up and hold her so tight.
“Forever and ever, baby.”
We’re barely out the front doors when Roman’s phone goes off.
The voice on the other end is grim.
“Mr. Ashford. The three men who took Lily — they talked.”
“Somebody hired them.”
They traced the money. A wire from overseas, bounced through layers of accounts, landed in a shell company that used to be tied to the Crane family.
My stomach drops.
“It was Victoria? This whole time?”
But here’s the thing — the account wasn’t in Victoria’s name. Not directly. And without that link, they can’t prove she ordered any of it.
We don’t even get the chance to dig deeper.
Because she moves first.
The next morning, I’m everywhere.
DIVORCED ONE MONTH, STREET VENDOR MARRIES INTO BILLIONS
EX-HUSBAND SPEAKS OUT: “MY MOTHER’S DEATH RAISES QUESTIONS — AND SHE’S ALREADY REMARRIED”
Derek. On camera. Sitting in a studio. Doing a whole interview.
“My mother was bedridden for years. Sera was her primary caretaker.”
“After she died, Sera pushed for the divorce. A few weeks later, she’s married to Roman Ashford.”
“I don’t want to think the worst about my ex-wife.”
“But there are things about my mother’s death that just don’t add up.”
I’m shaking so hard I can’t hold the remote.
Roman takes it from my hand and kills the TV.
“Stop.”
“They’re lying!” My voice breaks. “Every single word — it’s all lies—”
“I don’t care what they say about me. But you and Lily — you shouldn’t have to deal with this because of me.”
Roman takes my hand. Both of his hands. Warm. Firm. Like an anchor.
“You married me, Sera. That makes you mine to protect.”
“And yeah, I know you don’t need protecting. I know you can handle yourself.”
“But just this once — let me go first.”
Behind us, at the bottom of the stairs, Lily is peeking through the railing. Her face is white as paper.
“Are the bad people gonna take Mommy away?”
I drop to my knees and pull her in.
“No, baby. No one’s taking me anywhere.”
Roman reaches over and wraps both of us up. All three of us. Holding on.
“Nobody touches your mom. Not while I’m breathing.”