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Illyana gazes down at her fruit bowl. "Wow. That's good. I don't want to see angry men ever again."

"I wanted to… Illyana, you were born in New York. This can be your home if you want it to be. We can get a house and find you a school or a tutor, whatever you prefer. It's all up to you. I want you to know how much choice and freedom you have now, and whatever you need, I will do my best to do it for you."

She lifts her gaze back to me. "Are you leaving?"

"No!" I clasp her hand between both of mine. "No, no! I'm telling you this because I want to build a relationship with you, Illyana. I want to make up for all the time we lost. Cassian too. But I want it to be on your own terms and how safe you feel. That's why I'm saying you can do what you want. We can stay here. We can go back to Italy if you're more comfortable there. There's no rush to decide."

"I want to go where you go," she replies quickly.

"I will be wherever you are, sweetheart. That part is non-negotiable."

"So… if I want to stay here, you'll stay with me?"

"Of course I will. Nothing could drag me away."

"All of that… the house and school… we can do that here?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"We can organize whatever you need," Cassian says gently. "Nothing is too big or too hard. If you want it, we will get it for you."

Illyana looks between the two of us and then back at her fruit bowl. "I like it here. Everyone is nice. And I like the city. I like the noise. It makes me feel less alone. I want…" She hesitates and frowns as if she's never really thought about her wishes becoming a reality. "I want to go to school and make friends. I want to do that. Can I do that?"

"Of course you can." I pat the back of her hand as I speak. "We can find a nice house and get you your own room. We can find a nice school. We can do all the things you've never done before."

"Like ride a bike?"

"Mmhmm."

"And a horse?"

"Yup."

"And go to Disney?" She grows more and more excited as she talks, and I nod to each and every one of them.

"We can do everything."

"Yay!" Illyana stares at me and then suddenly, her face crumples and she starts crying.

"What's wrong?"

She hiccups loudly, rapidly trying to stem the flow of tears with her small fists but it's hopeless. She's crying far too hard. "I d-didn't th-think I'd e-ever get to do th-those things," she wails.

My heart breaks and as I move to hug her, Illyana suddenly throws herself into my arms.

"I'm so happy. I don't know why I'm crying!"

Cassian laughs softly and pats her shoulder while she clings to me, and tears spring into my own eyes. "I'm happy too, sweetheart. So happy."

"If you need me for anything," Cassian says, "I'm here for you, too."

Illyana scrambles across my lap and lunges for Cassian, almost missing, but he surges forward and catches her with a laugh. She continues to hiccup and wail, but knowing they are happy tears is the only thing soothing my aching heart.

I have my family now.

Nothing in the world will ever take this away from me.

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