Chapter 30 – And They Lived Happily Ever After?
The morning air smelled of lavender and roses.
I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the silk robe around my waist for the fifth time.
My hair was curled and fell softly down my shoulders.
My fingers shook as I touched my lips, trying to calm myself down.
Mateo had told me to get dressed. Said he had a surprise for me.
Something about today felt different, and that nervous flutter in my chest refused to settle.
I wasn’t the same Sophia anymore, yet I couldn’t help but feel like that girl again-the one who once believed in fairytales before the world broke her.
Now, I was free, powerful, happy, and in love with a man who had taken a bullet for me.
I walked through the house slowly, heart racing. The maids smiled knowingly as I passed.
Everyone seemed to know what was coming except me.
I stepped out onto the back terrace, and that’s when I saw it.
Roses. Thousands of them.
Red, white, and pink, draped from every tree, every archway.
The whole garden looked like a dream, like something out of a story I used to imagine when I was a girl hiding from the world.
In the center stood Mateo.
He was in a black shirt, sleeves rolled, no tie, just the way I liked him.
His hair was messy, eyes warm and shining. In his hand, he held a single rose and something small in a velvet box.
My breath caught.
‘Mateo…” I whispered.
He smiled. “Come here, my Queen.”
walked slowly toward him, tears already stinging my eyes. My heart thudded like a drum.
When I stopped in front of him, he didn’t speak right away. He just looked at me, like he was rying to memorize every inch of my face.
Then he dropped to one knee.
Just like that, I broke.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. My hand flew to my mouth as he opened the box and revealed a diamond that sparkled like a star.
“I spent years chasing revenge, Sophia,” he began, voice low and steady. “I thought the only way I’d ever feel whole again was by destroying the Morettis. I built empires from blood. I carried rage like armor. But then I met you.”
My chest ached with how hard I was crying now.
“You were broken too. You smiled through hell, survived things that should’ve destroyed you. And still… you came out of it like fire and gold. You didn’t just save me, Sophia. You taught me how to live.”
I covered my face, trying to breathe through the tears.
Mateo took my hand.
“I love you. Not because of what we’ve been through, but because of who you are when no one’s looking. Fierce. Loyal. Beautiful. Mine.” He swallowed hard. “Marry me. Let me give you a life without pain. Without bloodshed. Just love. Say yes.”
I was sobbing now, messy and full of joy. I nodded quickly, about to say yes, but-
“I have to tell you something first.”
He froze slightly. “What is it?”
I pulled his hand up and placed it gently on my stomach. “I’m pregnant.”
He didn’t move, he didn’t blink.
The air around us seemed to still.
Then, slowly, his eyes widened. His mouth parted. “You’re… what?”
“I’m pregnant, Mateo. We’re having a baby.”
He stared at me like he couldn’t believe it.
Then he stood up so fast the ring box fell to the ground.
He picked me up, spun me around, laughing like a man who finally found peace.
I laughed too, clinging to him, tears still running down my face.
“You’ve given me everything,” he whispered as he lowered me to the ground. His hand stayed or my stomach. “Everything I never thought I could have.”
“I never thought I could have this either,” I said. “But you… you made me believe again.”
He picked up the ring, and this time, I said it properly.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Yes to everything.”
He slipped the ring on my finger and kissed my hand.
Then he kissed me.
It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t needy. It was slow and full of promises-of tomorrows, of quiet nights, of children and safety.
It was the kiss of a man who had fought for love, and a woman who had finally stopped running.
I wrapped my arms around him as the sun rose behind us.
My father and grandfather clapped their hands behind us as the staff cheered.
“I’m going to be a granddad, Dad!” my dad said to my grandfather.
My grandfather nodded with a smile, “Yes, and we have a grand wedding to plan.”
I laughed as they hugged us. Life was finally perfect, I had my family, a fiancée, and we were expecting.
Then I stared at the rose garden where Ariella’s grave was and whispered, “I hope you’re smiling
Series 2 He Let Our Son Die, Now I’ll Ruin Him
