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It’s a fortress, but one that promises safety in a dangerous world.
I catch the blur of my reflection in the tinted glass window, and it seems to hold a thousand unspoken fears and uncertainties, but amidst it all, I see a glimmer of resilience.
Of hope.
I square my shoulders and take a deep breath, channeling the strength I never knew I possessed before I was sold to the Viper.
This is not how I envisioned my life turning out, but six months with that monster has prepared me for anything life with Ciaran can possibly throw at me.
Compared to what I’ve been through, this will be a walk in the park.
I look over at his strong profile, and a riot of emotions washes through me.
I believe in him completely.
His desire for me.
His promises.
His vow to keep me and our baby safe.
His acceptance, and his willingness to try.
And I know, without a doubt, that despite all the challenges and obstacles ahead, we will face them together, as a family.
Maybe not a conventional one.
But a strong one.
Epilogue
MARICELA
The past few years have changed the landscape both tangibly and emotionally into something almost unrecognizable.
Who could ever have predicted that from our inauspicious beginnings, Ciaran and I could have built something so solid?
If I’d ever been worried that the initial bloom of our passion would wear off, then I’ve been proven wrong a dozen times over. Our love has only flourished with time, deepened over the years, maturing like a fine wine.
And yes, it is love.
We’ve weathered the storms life has thrown our way. Controversies involving both Róisín and Callum, who had been somewhat less than happy when Ciaran brought me back to Ár n-áit and announced our relationship.
I knew a lot of insecurity back then, convinced Ciaran’s twin, with the special bond they shared, would come between us.
But Ciaran refused to let that happen. Making me his wife before our daughter Siobhan - the apple of her daddy’s eye - was born, to demonstrate how serious he was.
Since then, and aided by the birth of his niece, Callum has come around, and now we manage to live in a state of relative harmony. Although I privately think my brother-in-law would benefit from the love of a good woman… or man, if he ever has the guts to come out of the closet. The secret Callum is doing a pretty good job of keeping, except to those who know him well, is eating away at his character and his sanity, making him surly and ill-tempered to everyone around him.
It’s helped that Ciaran and I moved out of the compound.
After insisting it was the safest place for us to be, Ciaran did a complete one-eighty turnabout not long after Siobhan was born, deciding it was no place for a baby girl to live.
So, he made some big changes, including buying a gated mansion in upstate New York, and purchasing a helicopter so he can make the flight from our new home to the West 30th St. heliport, which is less than a mile from Ár n-áit.
By air, the one hundred miles from our secret hideaway - a rural, though unashamedly grand property on the banks of Cooper Lake, on the outskirts of Woodstock, is less than an hour’s travel. Less than the commute between Hell’s Kitchen and Queens, where the families connected to the Irish mob traditionally live. But it’s a whole world away as far as security and peace of mind are concerned.
There isn’t much that upsets the steady balance Ciaran and I have now found. In fact, I often find myself in awe of the strength and resilience we possess as a couple. It feels like we’ve achieved the impossible, finding love and devotion in the wake of what should have been an unworkable situation.
