I Saved His Daughter And The Mafia Boss Won’t Let Me Leave Chapter 13
Roman must see the confusion on my face.
“Next month, the trust fund under Lily’s name gets reassigned. Whoever has legal custody controls it.”
Victoria’s expression cracks. Just for a second. Then she smooths it over.
And it all clicks.
She doesn’t want Lily.
She wants what’s sitting in Lily’s name.
Lily is clinging to my leg so hard her nails dig in.
“I’m not going… please… I don’t wanna go…”
Victoria’s face twitches. She bends down, and this sugary-sweet voice comes out that makes every hair on my arms stand up.
“Oh, come on, Lily. Don’t you miss Mommy?”
“If you come home with me, you’ll get to see Mommy every single day. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Lily screams. She slaps her hands over her ears and crawls under the table.
“Don’t take me somewhere strange! Please! Please don’t!”
My heart slams into my throat. I knock Victoria’s reaching hand away.
“She’s not going anywhere! Get away from her!”
Victoria clutches her wrist. Her eyes go wide. Then narrow.
“Did you just put your hands on me?”
Her voice turns to ice.
“Sera. You can’t actually believe that playing mommy for a few weeks makes you her real mother.”
She throws a legal notice on the table. It slaps against the wood.
“I am Lily’s biological mother.”
“And you are the hired help. You could be out on the sidewalk by morning.”
She looks me dead in the eye. Every word lands like a nail being driven in.
“You’re not even Roman’s legal wife.”
“So what exactly makes you think you have the right to fight me for my child?”
After Victoria leaves, Lily won’t come out of my arms.
She cries until there’s nothing left. Even then, she won’t let go. Her fists are balled up in my shirt so tight her knuckles are white.
I hold her. I rock her. I say it again and again and again. As many times as she needs.
“Mommy’s right here.”
“Nobody is taking you anywhere. Nobody. Ever.”
She doesn’t fall asleep until the sky starts turning gray.
Roman sits on the edge of the bed. He reaches over and wipes the dried tears off her cheeks, so careful, like she’s made of glass.
“The lawyers say Victoria’s got a weak case. She walked away on her own. Gave up custody willingly. That counts for a lot.”
He goes quiet.
“But she’s going to come after us on this. She’ll argue that Lily’s home life isn’t stable. That you and I aren’t really…”
He doesn’t finish. He doesn’t have to.
I look down at Lily. Her tiny fist still wrapped around my shirt. Even in her sleep, she’s holding on.
I take a breath.
“Roman. Let’s get married. For real.”
He goes still. Completely still.
“What?”
I can’t look at him. My fingers are fidgeting with the edge of the blanket.
“I know it’s not my place to say this.”
“And I know I’m… I’m not in your league. Not even close.”
“But Lily is a good kid. She’s the best kid. I love her and I can’t let anyone hurt her.”
“And you’re a good dad. I’m not gonna sit here and watch somebody drag her away from you.”
Roman doesn’t say anything for a long time.
“If this is just about winning in court, I’ve got other ways.”
His voice is quiet. Careful.
“I won’t use Lily to trap you in another marriage. You already went through that once.”
I blink.
Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring box.
It’s been in there. This whole time, it’s been in there.
Inside is a diamond. Not flashy. Not huge. Simple and perfect and the kind of thing someone chose because they actually thought about it.
“But I do want to marry you, Sera.”
I’m on my feet before I know it. Nearly knock the chair over.
“Roman — what — you can’t just—”
“We’ve known each other for like — it hasn’t even been — I don’t—”
“I know.”
He looks up at me. And his eyes are so steady. So sure. Like he’s been carrying this around a lot longer than tonight.
“I know it hasn’t been long.”
“But you had five dollars left to your name. Five. And you didn’t even hesitate. You spent every cent of it on a little girl you’d never met.”
“You’ve picked me up off the floor. You’ve dressed me. Carried me. And not once — not one single time — did you ever look at this chair and see someone less than.”
“You keep telling me it’s just a job. That you’re just here for the paycheck.”
He smiles. Just barely. And it breaks something open in my chest.
“But I’ve watched you, Sera. You tuck her in like she’s yours. You fight for her like she’s yours. You learned every single person’s name in this house in the first week, and you remember how they take their coffee.”
“You say it’s just a gig. But you love this family like it’s the only one you’ve ever had.”
His voice drops. Raw. No walls left.
“Before you showed up, this place was just… big. Cold rooms and people paid to be here.”
“You walked in and turned it into something I didn’t even know I was missing.”
“I’m not asking because of Lily. I’m not asking because of a custody battle.”
“I’m asking because you’re the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing before I fall asleep, and I am so goddamn tired of pretending that’s not true.”
“I want you, Sera. Just you. Stay with me.”