The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 45

~ Damon -

Saying goodbye to Adrian was one of the hardest things Damon ever had to do, and he's had to do many difficult things in this lifetime. After the funeral service, Violet stayed with Talia and Damon held a meeting with Liam and Beau. He and Adrian made a promise once that someday their businesses will be legitimized and they would leave the mafia underworld once and for all. Unfortunately, after getting rid of Maranzano, Damon got tied up with Hugo and the legitimization of the company had to be put on the backburner. But now that it was all over, it was time for Damon to fulfill his promise, even if Adrian wasn't around to see it.

"We're letting go of anything that's illegal and non-essential. You can put them up on auction or give it away, I don't care as long as our name isn't tied up to any of those businesses," Damon said as he sat back in his chair. In front of him were Liam and Beau. Three glasses of whiskey were laid on the desk and the atmosphere in that study was somber.

"I'm on it," Liam said as he sipped his drink.

"And I need you to gather our books and make sure all of our legitimized businesses are in order," Damon said to Beau.

"Yes, sir," he replied, pausing for a beat before adding, "What about the gray areas? Like clubs and casinos?"

"Compile the file and put them on my desk by tomorrow. I'll save whatever I can save, and we let go of the rest," Damon said as he reached for his drink. One sip of that hot liquid and his body instantly relaxed.

"Alright. But you do realize that's more than 50 percent of our income?" Beau said as he shuffled uncomfortably. "Give or take,"

"Not to mention, the smaller families are gonna cause a riot, fighting over scraps," Liam added.

"I know, but this is what he would've wanted," Damon said as he finished his drink. "So I'm trusting the details to you too,"

Damon put the glass down and with that, so were his feet. This was it. The end of the Van Zandt era as they know it.

"Alright, if it's what you want, we got this," Liam nodded his head firmly.

"Thank you," Damon said as he stood up, and the guys stood up with him. Lending out a hand, he shook their hands and said, "It's been a pleasure doing business, boys,"

Liam and Beau exchanged worried looks. Damon grabbed his suit and turned for the door.

Just before he exited, Liam called out, "Damon,"

Damon turned around and waited for him to continue.

"What's gonna happen to us then?" he asked.

"Well, you two will still be handsomely rewarded, I promise you that-"

"No, I'm not talking about money," Liam shook his head. "What happens to the family?"

Damon stifled a smile.

"We'll never stop being a family," he told them. "No matter what,"

Damon and the guys exchanged a knowing look. A smile curved up Beau's face and Liam cocked his head to the side, smirking.

When Damon finally returned to his room that night, it was already past midnight. He thought Violet would already be asleep, or maybe she was sleeping over at Talia's. But when he entered the room, he was shocked that the lights were on and Violet was sitting on the bed, her nose buried in a book.

"Hey, why are you still up?"

"I was waiting for you," she answered, putting the book away. "How was the meeting?"

"Good," Damon said as he stripped down his clothes and walked lamely to the bed. He was exhausted. "How's Talia?"

"Not good, but she's stable... resting..."

"Okay. You should rest too,"

Damon climbed on the bed and pulled her into his arms. He was spooning her, her back was flushed against his chest.

"Mmhm," she murmured and snuggled their bodies together.

Damon buried his nose into the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. Her sweet scent filled his nose and his body relaxed. Suddenly, all the weight of the world seemed to have lifted off his shoulders.

"I'm so glad you're here with me," he whispered into her ear as he closed his eyes. "I don't know what I'll do without you,"

Damon was so tired, he fell asleep seconds after that. Normally, it took him a few hours to be ready for bed, but he was absolutely spent tonight. Physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Ever since he got back from Italy, Damon had business to attend to. Not only did he have to arrange a service for Adrian, but he also had to make sure that Violet and his family were safe from any retaliation from Hugo's sympathizers. Liam and Beau were on top of that, and luckily things were looking good for them. But still, there was no time to rest because now he had to go forward with the last part of the plan- ending the Van Zandt dynasty once and for all.

"So, you're really ending it, huh?"

Damon looked up to see Adrian standing in front of him. He was shocked for a moment, but then he realized this was a dream. Yes, even in his dream, Damon was still haunted by his responsibilities. He was dreaming that he was in his study, making plans and arrangements for the future, and Adrian was sitting in front of him, like always.

"Never thought this day would come, but here it is," Adrian said again, chuckling a little.

"I know it's a little late, but we're finally there," Damon said as he got up and reached for two glasses and a whiskey bottle from the wet bar. He poured himself and Adrian a drink.

"It's too bad you're not around to see it. I could really use some help with all this paperwork," he continued.

"Nah," Adrian shook his head and grabbed his glass. "I'd much rather drink and let you deal with all that,"

The two men shared a look and stifled laughs.

"It's not gonna be too late for our kids though," Adrian said again.

"That's right," Damon nodded his head. "They'll live in a better world than us. Hopefully,"

"Cheers to that," Adrian said as he raised his glass, and Damon did the same.

When Damon opened his eyes again, he saw the dark blue and orange light shining from the window. The sun was slowly rising over the horizon, turning the dark night sky a shade lighter. Damon lazily moved his arm looking for Violet, but he caught nothing but air. He lifted his head up instantly and looked around. Violet wasn't on the bed with him.

"Violet?" he called out. There was no answer.

"Sweet girl?" he called again. This time, he even got up and checked the bathroom, but she wasn't anywhere around.

Shit.

Terror immediately filled his eyes. His worst fear was coming to life. He thought someone might've kidnapped Violet. Damon raced to his bedside table and grabbed a gun haphazardly. Then he quickly raced downstairs, heading to the front door- "Where are you going?" Suddenly, he heard her voice. He stopped his tracks and turned around. Violet was walking from the kitchen, wearing a robe over her sleeping gown. In her hand is a cup of something warm.

"H-hey," Damon stammered. A huge sigh of relief filled his lungs as he closed the door and turned around. "What are you doing here?"

"I woke up and I couldn't sleep again," she shrugged.

"You're not supposed to be out of bed. You need to rest,"

"But I just wanna make some coffee," she smiled sheepishly, lifting the cup.

"We have maids for that," he said as he strode over, standing right in front of her.

"I like making my own coffee,"

"Violet,"

"It's decaf,"

"Sweet girl, that's not what I meant," he sighed. He glanced at the clock before turning his gaze back on her again. "It's 5.30 in the morning, why are you out of bed, huh? You heard the doctor. No extraneous activities,"

"It's just making coffee, Damon. I've done this a million times before," she said reassuringly. "Plus, it relaxes me,"

Damon still looked worried, but Violet gave him her most reassuring smile.

"Do you want a cup?" she offered.

Seeing that he couldn't force her back to bed, Damon relented. "Alright. I'll have whatever you're having,"

Violet smiled and took his hand, leading him to the kitchen. Damon stashed the gun safely behind his back as he followed her. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he watched in silent adoration as Violet worked the coffee machine like a professional. "How is it?" she said after handing him a cup of coffee.

Damon took a sip and nodded in approval.

"Amazing. As always,"

"Oh, come on,"

"I'm serious. You're the best barista in the world," he said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "And the most beautiful,"

Violet let out a giggle and it sounded like music to Damon's ear. It's been a while since he heard her giggle. God knows he could use more of that around here.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed," he said as he laced their fingers together and he pulled her gently towards the stairs.

~ Violet -

Violet didn't feel like sleeping, but Damon insisted she needed to rest. So even though she wasn't tired, she lay in bed cuddled next to him and forced her eyes to close.

Sometimes, Violet would open her eyes and she saw Damon's face right in front of her. His eyes were closed and she took a moment to note his handsome features. Looking at his face was better than any dream she could have. She'd rather look at his face than at anything else.

It was six in the morning and Violet still couldn't sleep. Damon looked tired and he fell asleep very quickly last night. Violet, on the other hand, only got a few hours of sleep before she woke up in the middle of the night due to a recurring nightmare.

Ever since Italy, Violet's dreams were haunted by the sound of gunshots and images of blood everywhere. They were a gruesome sight. Violet would rather open her eyes and look at the ceiling than sleep and look at that. Or rather, she could just look at Damon and not go to sleep at all.

"Hey, why are you still up?"

Damon's eyes fluttered open and he saw her looking at him. Violet's cheeks flushed bright pink as she turned away.

"I'm not sleepy," she said.

"It's probably because of all that coffee you've been drinking," he commented.

Violet let out a smile, not knowing what else to do.

"Sweet girl, what's wrong?" Damon noticed the reservation in her smile.

"Damon, I'm... scared," she said softly, her eyes kept glancing away. "Every time I close my eyes, all I see is..."

"Sssh, it's okay," Damon cooed and pulled her closer to his body. "It's normal to have nightmares after what you've seen. I should know,"

Violet let out a sigh and buried her face into his chest. He smelled clean and nice, and his familiar scent instantly relaxed her body. "What should I do?" she asked.

"Fight the demons, but remember that you're not alone. You're alright here. You're safe with me. This is your home,"

Damon stroked her hair gently and rested his chin on the top of her head. Violet's hands clung onto his chest and she refused to let go.

"Anyway, Hugo and all his men are dead. Even his sympathizers are turning around. He and his family are gone from the face of the earth. You don't have to worry about him anymore. Ever,"

Violet looked up to see Damon's piercing blue eyes. His face was serious. He meant every word he said to her.

"What about Celina?" she asked cautiously. "Did you guys...?"

"We captured her, yes,"

"Are you gonna... kill her?"

Damon let out a sigh and threw his glance to the ceiling.

"We're still debating it," he said. "The marriage paper is destroyed, so that problem's gone. Technically, she has no more power. She's useless. Ending her life is just a matter of erasing the DeSantis name, but still-" "Damon..." Violet cut him off. Putting her hands on his face, she tilted her gaze back to her. "I need you to stop killing people... There'd been so many deaths already... I think we all deserve a break..."

Damon's eyes softened as he stared into her eyes. Violet was beyond tired from all of this. He could see it in her eyes. She just wanted to move on.

"You're right. It's time for a new start," Damon said as his hand reached for her stomach. "Our baby deserves it,"

"And you deserve it too," she said firmly. "You deserve so much more than this world of violence could offer,"

Damon's lips curved into a smile. Violet leaned closer and rested her forehead against his.

"I love you, sweet girl," he murmured.

"I love you, Damon,"

Damon planted a soft, sweet kiss on her lips before pulling back to look at her eyes some more.

"Go to sleep now. I'll be here all day. I'll protect you," he said.

Violet nodded meekly and smiled.

"Yeah, and I'll protect you too,"

Those words made Damon's heart swell and burst. He knew those weren't just words. She literally crossed the ocean and risked her own life to save him.

I'll protect you and you'll protect me. We'll protect each other.

Damon pulled her closer into his arms and rested his face on the crook of her neck. Smiling from ear to ear, he whispered, "Deal,"