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Three days after giving birth, I was standing barefoot in a hospital hallway when the father of my child looked me in the eyes and refused to put his name on her birth certificate. / Chapter 15 / 15

Chapter 15 - The Future Unwritten

Five years later.

The Moretti estate was no longer a silent fortress of shadows and ghosts; it was a home filled with laughter, the patter of running feet, and the bright, infectious energy of a five-year-old girl.

Sophia Moretti—now a vibrant, fiercely intelligent child with dark curls and her mother's stubborn spirit—raced across the sprawling lawn, chasing a golden retriever puppy while her father jogged effortlessly behind her, making sure she didn't trip over the flowerbeds.

Claire sat on the patio terrace, sipping her morning coffee, watching the two most important people in her world play under the golden autumn sun.

Dante caught Sophia by the waist, lifting her high into the air as the little girl shrieked with laughter. He spun her around before setting her down on his shoulders, walking back toward the terrace with a relaxed, happy smile that would have been unrecognizable to anyone who had known the cold billionaire five years ago.

He walked up the stone steps, setting Sophia down gently on her feet. "Go wash your hands, sweetpea. Mommy has pancakes waiting inside."

"Pancakes!" Sophia cheered, darting eagerly through the French doors toward the kitchen.

Dante pulled out the chair beside Claire, sitting down and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against his side as he looked out over the ocean horizon.

"You're quiet this morning," Dante murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "What are you thinking about?"

Claire leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling as she watched the waves crash against the cliffs below. "I was just thinking about that day in the hospital. Standing barefoot in the hallway, watching Derek walk away, feeling like my entire world had ended."

Dante tightened his arm around her, his expression softening. "If Derek hadn't walked away, I never would have walked down that hospital ward. I never would have found you."

"No," Claire agreed, turning her face to press a kiss to his jaw. "You didn't save me because I was a Moretti, Dante. You saved me because you knew what it felt like to be left in the dark."

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