Chapter 13: Aftermath
1090 Words
The news broke before Matteo was even out of the hospital.
*CITY MAFIA BOSS SHOT. NUN AT HIS SIDE.*
*VINCENT ROSSI ARRESTED. BROTHER TURNED ON BROTHER.*
*WHO IS SISTER ELENA ROSSI?*
Elena saw it on TV in Matteo’s hospital room.
Her face. Blurred. But everyone knew.
Her phone blew up. 200 messages. All from numbers she didn’t know.
Reporters. "Sources." "Anonymous tips."
Mother Superior called. Once.
Elena didn’t answer.
Matteo watched her. "Turn it off."
"I can’t." Elena’s voice was small. "They’re calling me a sinner. A w***e. A liar."
Matteo sat up. Winced. "Come here."
Elena sat on the bed next to him.
He took her hand. "Let them talk. We’re alive. That’s all that matters."
"Is it?" She looked at him. "My vows, Matteo. My faith. I threw it all away."
"No." He squeezed her hand. "You chose to live. There’s a difference."
Elena cried. He held her until she stopped.
---
Day 3. Discharge again.
They left through the back. 6 cars. Armed men.
Reporters were at the front gate.
The headlines followed them home.
*"THE BOSS AND THE NUN: LOVE IN THE TIME OF BLOOD"*
*"DID SHE SEDUCE HIM OR DID HE CORRUPT HER?"*
Elena stopped reading after that.
The new safehouse was bigger. More guards. More cameras.
It felt like a prison again.
"How long do we stay here?" Elena asked.
"Until Vince’s trial," Matteo said. "Then we see."
---
Vince’s trial was in 2 weeks.
He was charged with attempted murder. Racketeering. Arson.
He pled not guilty. Smiled at the cameras.
And he kept looking at Elena every time she walked in.
The prosecution wanted her to testify.
About the safehouse. About the warehouse. About Matteo.
Matteo said no. "It’s too dangerous."
Elena said yes. "If I don’t, he walks."
They fought about it for 2 days.
Finally, Matteo gave in. "If you do this, I’m in the courtroom. Every day. And my men are outside. Every door."
"Okay."
---
The day of her testimony, Elena wore black. No habit. Just a dress.
She felt naked.
The courtroom was packed. Cameras. Whispers.
Vince was in shackles. He winked at her.
Elena’s hands shook on the bible.
"Do you swear to tell the truth?"
"I do."
The prosecutor was kind. Gentle.
"Can you tell us what happened the night of the warehouse shooting?"
Elena told the truth. All of it.
The convent. The garden. The five minutes.
The attack. The safehouse. The trap.
When she said "I love him," the room went silent.
The defense attorney stood. "Sister Rossi. Or Ms. Rossi now, is it?"
"Yes."
"You left your convent to be with a known criminal. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"You abandoned your vows."
"I did."
"And you expect this court to believe you?"
Elena looked at him. Then at Matteo in the front row.
Then at Vince.
"I expect this court to believe the truth," she said. "And the truth is, Mr. Rossi tried to kill us both. Because he couldn’t stand that someone loved me."
Gasps.
Vince’s smile dropped.
Matteo’s eyes were wet.
---
They convicted Vince.
25 to life.
He didn’t look at Elena when they led him out.
But he mouthed one word: "Soon."
Elena threw up in the bathroom after.
---
The next week was hell.
Protesters outside the house. "Hypocrite." "Murderer."
Priests calling her a disgrace.
News anchors debating her soul.
Matteo shut it all off.
He spent the week with her. Cooking. Watching bad movies.
Touching her like she might disappear.
On night 5, she broke.
"I can’t do this," she whispered. "The looks. The words. I can’t."
Matteo pulled her onto his lap. "Then we leave."
"What?"
"We leave. Tonight. New city. New names. No one knows us."
Elena stared at him. "Can we do that?"
"Yeah." He smiled. Small. "I’ve got money. I’ve got contacts. We can start over."
Elena thought about it. The ocean. No cameras. No Vince.
Just him.
"Okay," she said. "Let’s go."
---
They left at 2 AM.
3 cars. North. To the coast.
Matteo drove. Elena slept with her head on his shoulder.
At sunrise, they stopped at a motel. Small. Quiet.
Elena showered for an hour. Washed the city off her.
When she came out, Matteo was on the bed. Waiting.
He looked at her. Really looked.
"You’re beautiful," he said.
Elena blushed. "Stop."
"I won’t." He stood. Came to her. "Not anymore."
He kissed her.
No fear this time. No timers. No rules.
Elena kissed him back. Her hands in his hair.
They ended up on the bed. Clothes gone.
It was slow. Careful.
Like they had all the time in the world.
After, Elena laid on his chest. Listening to his heart.
"Do you regret it?" she asked.
"Which part?"
"Any of it."
Matteo kissed her forehead. "The only thing I regret is that it took me so long to find you."
Elena smiled. "Me too."
---
They stayed at the coast for a week.
No phones. No news. No Vince.
Just them. The ocean.
Elena saw it for the first time. Stood in it with her dress soaked.
Matteo watched her from the shore. Like she was a miracle.
On the last night, he asked: "What do we do now?"
Elena looked at him. "Whatever we want."
Matteo nodded. "Okay."
---
They got a call on the drive back.
Matteo’s lawyer. "Boss. Vince’s appeal got denied. He’s going to a max security prison. Upstate."
Matteo hung up. Exhaled.
"He’s really gone," Elena whispered.
"For now," Matteo said. "But we’re not going back to that life."
Elena nodded. "Good."
---
They bought a house. Small. By the water.
Matteo got rid of most of his business. Kept 2 legal companies.
Elena started volunteering at a shelter. No habit. Just her.
People still stared sometimes. Whispered.
They didn’t care.
At night, they sat on the porch. His arm around her.
"Do you miss it?" Matteo asked once. "God. The convent."
Elena thought about it. "I miss the peace. But I don’t miss the fear."
Matteo kissed her temple. "You have peace now."
"I do," Elena said. "Because of you."
---
6 months later.
Elena was in the garden. Their garden.
Planting rosemary.
Matteo came out with two coffees.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey." She took the cup. "You look happy."
"I am." He sat next to her. "Are you?"
Elena looked at the ocean. At him. At her hands in the dirt.
"Yes," she said. "I’m home."
Matteo leaned over. Kissed her.
No cameras. No timers. No Vince.
Just them.
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