All Chapters of Half a Lifetime Later—My Mafia Princess is Finally Mine: Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

Alessia ─ ∘❉∘ ─ "I'm sorry, Rino," I whispered, the words catching in my throat as I looked up at him. "I'm so sorry for walking away from you like that. I should have stayed, I should have—" "No," he cut me off, "Alessia, stop. If anyone should be fucking sorry, it's me." I went still, my hands resting against the hard, warm muscle of his chest. I looked up at him, taking in the remorse etched into his beautiful face. A slow, knowing smile spread across my lips. I didn't pull away, instead, I leaned in closer, my eyes locking onto his with a new kind of heat. I was his and he was mine, and I knew exactly what that meant. "You know what?" I said, a dark edge of playfulness bleeding through my voice, "You're right. It should be you. Actually, it’s definitely you." I tilted my head, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, feeling the rough stubble. "Because I didn't lie to you, Rino. When I didn't love you, I told you to your face. When I finally did fall for you, I didn't hide

Rino ─𖤝─ The next few days were a blur. We spent them lost in a cycle of drifting across the open ocean on the yacht or hiding away in the cabin, totally disconnected from the rest of the world. I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee hitting me before I even opened my eyes. I got out of bed, my bare feet silent on the floor and when I made my way out, I saw her. She was standing by the kitchen island, wearing nothing but one of my white button-downs. The sleeves were rolled up, and the hem barely covered the curve of her butt. The morning light was hitting her just right, making her skin look like gold. I walked up behind her, slid my hands under the thin fabric of the shirt, my palms flat against her stomach. Her skin was warm, and she jumped a little, a soft gasp escaping her as she felt me. I didn't let her turn around. I gripped her hips and leaned her forward, pushing her down onto the cold marble of the kitchen island. Her hands flew out to steady herself, swiping a bowl of

Alessia ─ ∘❉∘ ─ I woke up slowly, my cheek pressed against the warm, solid expanse of Rino’s chest. The thud of his heart was the best sound in the world. He was still in deep sleep, his body heavy and relaxed under the silk sheets. We stayed up way past our usual time, and just talked, the words just pouring out of us until the early hours of the morning. I shifted slightly, feeling the scratch of his chest hair against my skin. I didn't want to get up. I wanted to live in this second forever. I started small. I leaned up and pressed a soft, lingering kiss right over his heart, feeling the skin vibrate with his next breath. Then I moved up. I kissed the hollow of his throat, the sharp, stubbled line of his jaw, and the corner of his mouth. He let out a low, sleepy grunt, but he didn't wake up yet. I trailed my lips down his neck, before moving back to his chest. I kissed the faded scars, the hard muscle of his pecs, and the ink on his arms, loving him with every breath I took.

Alessia ─ ∘❉∘ ─ "I need you there," Salvatore’s voice came through the phone, "Hazel is finally meeting the boys. She’s bringing her girls, and I need you there to keep the peace. If you aren't there to keep them in check, it’s going to be a bloodbath." I let out a long, shaky sigh, "I can't keep anyone in check, Sal. I can barely keep myself together. How am I supposed to walk back into that house? How am I supposed to look Madeleine in the eye after what we did? You think a 'sorry' fixes that? It doesn't. You don't just bounce back from that kind of trauma. Even if she says she forgives me, she’s going to carry that weight until the day she dies. How can I even live with myself then?" "Madeleine has a heart like nobody else I’ve ever met," Sal said, his voice softening just a fraction, "Don't you dare tell her I said that, but it's the truth. She’s one of a kind. If she found a way to forgive the rest of us for being monsters, she’ll find a way to forgive you, too. You have to

IMPORTANT NOTE 🚨 Moving forward, updates will be one chapter at a time until this book is complete. My schedule is extremely full right now, and this is the only pace I can realistically maintain. Please understand that I won’t be taking requests for additional updates or engaging with complaints about the posting schedule. If this update pace doesn’t suit you, you’re welcome to step back and return once the book is finished. Thank you to everyone who continues to support the story and respect my time and effort, it truly does make a difference. ─ ∘❉∘ ─ Alessia ─ ∘❉∘ ─ "Adelina..." I whispered. She just stood there, looking at me like I was a stranger she was afraid to offend. "Mrs. Lombardi..." she managed to say. This was the girl Rino hated with a passion that bordered on lethal, the living proof of the betrayal that stole his son's loyalty. And to her, I was the woman married to the man who wished she didn't exist. I stepped toward her, but she instinctively took a