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"What is this?" she asked

"That, tesoro, is your life"

Haven scanned the top paper, a certificate of citizenship, and tears forh the others as her e but confuse her Wills, codicils, executors, beneficiary distribution, uniform transfers, custodians, residuary estate, fiduciary"What does all this mean?"

"That’s your inheritance It’ll take a fewfrom it Actually, it should’ve taken ot it pushed through within a few days I don’t kno he does it Extortion, probably"

She stared at him "Inheritance?"

"Yeah, property and onna wanna keep the house, but you can sell it or--"

"What?" she asked "What house?"

He stopped speaking and looked at her with surprise "Uh, the house in Blackburn"

"Are you saying that house belongs to me?" He nodded, and she blinked a few times as she tried to absorb the infored to those people"

Frowning, Car you anything, but after what you’ve been through, you kinda deserve this It’s like atone any amount of money will make up for it, because it won’t But after all of the torture and everything you lost, you’re at least entitled to this Does that s," he said, grabbing the papers and shifting them around so the citizenship certificate was back on top

"What happens to me now? I’m still here"

"My father said you can stay here as long as you want, but you don’t have to"

"But where else would I go?"

"Wherever you want," he said "I told you that California, New York, Tio Or you can go alone Whatever you want"

Tears streamed from her eyes, and she clutched the papers as her hands shook Carmine pulled her down onto the bed as emotion took control and rocked her body in his embrace Overwhelo anywhere without you, Carreen eyes a flurry of eertips brushed across her lips She let out a shaky breath as he kissed her, finally let go of the papers They dropped to the bed as she ran her fingers through his unruly hair

"Ti aazza I want you to asped "Marry you?"

"I don’t mean today or tomorrow It doesn’t have to be this year or, fuck, next year But someday, when you’re ready, promise you’ll spend your life with me?" His wordsthis shit all wrong, but--"

"Okay" Her voice cracked "Yes"

He stalled "Yes?"

"Of course I will, Carmine!"

His face lit up as he shed into hishim back The outside world ertips causing sparks to ignite across her skin Knowing she was free and had a life of her own, and that despite everything she’d been in the past, he still wanted her for the future, made her insides burst into fla when Cary brick apart in the city The old elevator vibrated as it took them to the sixth floor, and they headed down a narrow hallway to apartment sixty-seven

Carmine reached up to knock, but the door opened before he could Dia stood before the a pair of ripped jeans and a blue top, her hair a mixture of black and purple streaks "Happy birthday!"

She ushered them inside, and Haven froze the moment she stepped into the front room The walls were a cream color, the paint barely visible due to the hundreds of photographs wallpapering every inch The aparte bunch of birthday balloons blended in There were presents next to theuilt battled for control "You shouldn’t have"

"Don’t be a buzzkill," Dia said, pulling her over to the table Haven sat down as Carazed at her

Dia stuck candles into the cake and lit the Haven stared at the flickering fla toa deep breath, Haven blew out the candles and watched the puffs of s wicks Dia pulled the her flinch

"Sorry," Dia said quickly "I’e and pulled out a slasson the top of it Inside the as a four-leaf clover, along with red hearts and shiny silver beading

"It’s a reliquary box," Dia said "You’re supposed to store your favorite things in it"