Chapter 19 - A Quiet Moment Between Father And Daughter
The armored sedan sped down the darkened interstate toward downtown Chicago, cutting through the misty autumn rain.
In the back seat, Grace sat quietly by the window, her hand resting over the purple bruise on her forearm.
Dominic reached over, gently pulling the sleeve of her coat down to cover the mark with a heavy protective tenderness.
“Does it hurt?” Dominic asked softly, his voice stripped of all the harsh mafia authority he usually carried.
“A little,” Grace admitted, turning her pale, sightless eyes toward where she knew he was sitting. “It was worth it.”
“I’m sorry, Grace,” Dominic murmured, his hand resting on her shoulder. “I spent twelve years trying to lock you away from the world.”
“You were trying to keep me safe, Dad,” Grace replied, surprising him with her mature forgiveness.
“Safety isn't a cage, Grace; Evelyn was right,” Dominic confessed, looking toward Evelyn who sat in the front passenger seat.
Evelyn offered a subtle nod in the rearview mirror without turning around, keeping her eyes fixed on the empty highway ahead.
“You’re my heir, Grace, not a porcelain doll,” Dominic continued, his voice steady and resolute. “And nobody will ever threaten you again.”
Grace smiled faintly, leaning her head against her father’s shoulder as the skyline of Chicago rose before them in the fog.
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The empire was fractured, the traitors were exposed, but for the first time in her life, she felt truly a part of her own family.
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