They called me a monster, but nothing prepared me for the moment I stormed into my son's nursery, pointed a gun at a terrified young maid with my dying baby pressed against her bare chest... only to realize she had accomplished in seconds what twenty doctors, three elite clinics, and millions of dollars never could. Then she whispered a sentence that shattered everything I believed about my son's illness—and before she could explain, someone locked us inside the room.

Six months later.

The new Rossi estate stood high on a sunlit cliff overlooking the Hudson Valley. It wasn't a dark, gloomy fortress like the Long Island mansion. It was filled with massive glass windows, open spaces, glowing hardwood, and gardens brimming with white roses—Sophia's favorite flowers.

Leo was eight months old now. Healthy, chubby-cheeked, and crawling with energetic speed across the sunlit living room floor.

Hunter stood near the kitchen island, dressed in a simple, elegant cream sweater and jeans. Her hair was pulled back, her cheeks rosy with health. The dark circles of grief and fear that had shadowed her eyes for so long were completely gone, replaced by a soft, radiant warmth.

I walked down the grand staircase, wearing a simple linen shirt, leaving my holster and gun locked in the hidden vault downstairs. In this house, violence had no place.

"He tried to eat the newspaper again," Hunter laughed, pointing at Leo, who was currently attempting to chew on the corner of a Sunday magazine.

I smiled, swooping down to pick up my son, tossing him into the air until he let out a loud, delighted squeal of laughter.

"He takes after his father," I said, holding Leo against my hip as I walked over to Hunter. "Persistent and hard-headed."

Hunter chuckled, leaning against the counter, looking at us with an expression of quiet content.

"How are the legal papers coming along?" she asked softly.

"Completed this morning," I replied, pulling a official document from my pocket and laying it on the counter. "The court has finalized the adoption paperwork. Leo officially has a mother's name on his birth certificate."

Hunter looked at the document. Beneath Lorenzo Rossi, in elegant script, sat the name: Hunter Higgins Rossi.

Her hand flew to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes. "Lorenzo..."

"You gave him life when the world tried to take it," I said softly, stepping closer to her, setting Leo down in his playpen nearby. "You protected him through fire and poison. You healed his body, and... you healed my broken soul, Hunter."

I reached out, gently taking her hand in mine.

"I married Sophia out of duty and love in a world of chaos," I said, looking deeply into her eyes. "I am asking you to be my wife because you are my peace. Not as a maid, not as a wet nurse... but as the queen of this home, and the woman I love."

Hunter let out a shaky breath, tears slipping down her smiling cheeks. "I was so broken when I came to your house, Lorenzo. I thought my life ended the day I lost Lily. But you... you gave me a reason to fight. You gave me a family."