The Trophy Wife

TWENTY: Finale

A/N: I'm sorry, okay. I'm really sorry. Really, really sorry. I'm afraid that you guys are going to hate me, but it had to happen. Annnd technically it shouldn't even come as a shock because I said it in chapter one...

But either way, I'm sorry.

Oh! And don't worry. Even though this chapter is called 'Finale,' it's not over yet. I'm planning on writing one more chapter (possibly two). I want to keep it to a minimum though, that way you won't have to wait forever for an ending. It'll be long and I'll make sure to clear up any loose ends as best I can. Comment any questions you have at the end of this chapter so that I can add them into the next one. It's kind of hard to keep track of what I have and haven't revealed yet.

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"Enzo." I breathed. "W-where were you?"

"Later, my love." He smiled as he took a step into his office.

I was too shocked to say anything else. Looking back, I realize that I shouldn't have waited for later. I should have demanded that he answer all of my questions right then and there because later never came. There was no later.

All we had was that moment and we took it for granted.

"I wish you guys could see your faces." Enzo laughed. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"What are you doing here?" Matteo asked, sternly. I couldn't quite understand his reaction. He seemed... angry. Angry that Enzo was alive. Angry that he was back.

I on the other hand felt nothing but relief. I was relieved that he was alive. Relieved that he was standing only three short feet away from me. I was no longer drowning in denial and misery. I could finally breath again.

He took my hand in his and kissed it before he spoke. I squeezed onto him for dear life, making sure that it wasn't just a dream. It was real. He was real.

"What do you mean?" My husband asked his friend. "You were merely covering for me during my absence. I now feel as if it is safe to come back and reclaim what is mine. After all, this is still my business."

"Bullshit." Although the sun had already set, a shadow was suddenly cast over his face. We were indoors and the curtains were shut tight, but the sinister forces that possessed him became very visible through his features and his tone. I took a step back, genuinely afraid of what he might do.

"Bullshit." Matteo repeated. His voice sent chills down my spine. "You ran away so that I could clean up this mess. You made everyone think you were dead just so you didn't have to deal with all of the chaos that your wife created.

"And if you think that I'm going to let you waltz back in here like nothing has happened, you are wrong. I am not stepping down, Enzo."

"Excuse me?"

"I am not stepping down." Matteo said again.

"I didn't expect you to let a little bit of power go straight to your head. I really thought you were stronger than that." Another small smile was tugging at the corners of Enzo's lips. "But this is not a matter of what you want or don't want to do. At the end of the day this is mine, not yours."

"You wouldn't have anything if it weren't for me. I spent my entire life helping first your father and then you. I might as well be a Granucci."

"But you're not." Enzo let go of my hand and took another step closer to the demon who stood before us. "No one forced you to dedicate your life to us. You chose to do it. You were the one who came to me while I was in Italy with Silvio. You were the one who brought me back to the States. You convinced me to marry Evelyn and you talked me into continuing what my grandfather had created.