Chapter 9 - The Bloom in CalabriaOne year after the war ended.
The Mediterranean sun broke gently over the rolling coastal hills of Calabria, Italy, painting the sky in breathtaking shades of liquid gold, soft rose, and deep sapphire.
A cool, fresh sea breeze swept through the ancient olive groves surrounding the cliffside Viscari villa—the ancestral home where my mother and Vincent had been born.
We had traveled to Italy for the summer—Vincent, Matthew, Marco, and me—to restore the old family estate and plant a sprawling garden of white roses and sunflowers in memory of my mother, Sofia.
I stood in the center of the sunlit garden wearing a flowing white sundress, my dark curls fluttering gently in the sea breeze, holding a basket of fresh yellow blossoms.
My brother, Matthew, was sitting on a stone bench under a grapevine canopy, reading a medical textbook, looking healthy, strong, and completely at peace.
Vincent walked down the stone garden steps wearing a simple white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, looking striking, handsome, and entirely relaxed.
He walked over to me in the rose garden, taking the basket from my hand and setting it on the stone wall before pulling me close into his arms.
“What are you thinking about, my little songbird?” Vincent asked softly, his dark eyes shining with unconditional love.
I looked out over the sparkling blue waters of the Ionian Sea, feeling the warm Italian sun on my skin.
“I’m thinking about that morning on the ladder in River North,” I answered truthfully, a soft, radiant smile gracing my lips. “I’m thinking about how terrified I was when you walked into the room.”
Vincent smiled—a warm, breathtaking smile that lit up his entire face.
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“You were humming that lullaby,” Vincent remembered softly, reaching out to touch my silver pendant resting against my neck. “And I knew the moment I heard your voice that my sister had sent you home to me.”
He leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against my forehead—a kiss filled with healing, protection, and an eternal promise of peace.
