Chapter 10 - The New Dawn
The sun dipped low behind the Palisades, painting the Hudson River in brilliant shades of amber, violet, and gold.
Inside the expansive, sunlit kitchen of the upstate estate, Nina was busy unpacking grocery bags while the radio played a soft, acoustic melody in the background. The battered feather duster she had carried through years of cleaning jobs leaned quietly against the pantry door—a relic of a life she had finally left behind.
Heavy, familiar paws padded across the hardwood floor.
Ghost trotted into the kitchen, carrying a rubber chew toy in his mouth. He dropped it neatly at Nina’s feet, giving a short, expectant woof.
“Not now, buddy, I’m making dinner,” Nina laughed, bending down to scratch behind his ears.
A pair of strong arms wrapped gently around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a warm, solid chest.
“Let him have his toy, Nina,” Lorenzo’s deep voice murmured near her ear, a soft chuckle vibrating against her back. “He’s the reason we’re both alive to eat dinner in the first place.”
Nina turned in his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck as she looked up into his smiling amber eyes. “You’re getting soft in your old age, Mr. Castellano.”
May you like
“Only for the right company,” Lorenzo whispered, leaning down to press his lips softly against hers.
By the window, Ghost let out a long, contented yawn, curling his massive black-and-tan body into a tight circle on the warm kitchen tiles. The storms of the past were gone, swallowed by the quiet, unbreakable peace of a home neither of them thought they would ever find.
