Chapter 19 - Rewriting the Rules ForeverThree months later, the spring thaw had finally arrived in Chicago, turning Lake Michigan into a brilliant sheet of sparkling blue.
The West Side Animal Emergency clinic was busier than ever, now operating under a fully legitimate, federally protected veterinary foundation with an endowment large enough to treat every injured stray in the Midwest for the next fifty years.
Dr. Reynolds was snoring happily in the break room, completely oblivious to the world.
Outside on the sidewalk, parked right along the curb, was a brand-new, matte-black luxury SUV.
Chloe stepped out of the clinic doors wearing her crisp blue scrubs, her canvas medical bag slung over her shoulder, feeling lighter and freer than she had in her entire life.
Trotting proudly beside her on a heavy leather leash was a massive, healthy gray pit bull with a gleaming coat and a faint scar over one eye.
Brutus let out a happy bark as a tall, sharply dressed man stepped out of the SUV. Gabriel Costa wore a crisp white shirt with his sleeves rolled up, looking more relaxed, more alive, and more devastatingly handsome than the first night they met in the pouring rain.
Gabriel walked up to her, dropping down on one knee right there on the busy Chicago sidewalk, completely unbothered by the pedestrians walking past.
Chloe stopped dead in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat.
Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, heavy velvet box, snapping it open to reveal the custom platinum ring shaped like a chain link—alongside a brand-new, solid gold veterinarian’s pendant.
"You infiltrated my life, outsmarted my guards, arrested my enemies, and refused to take 'No' for an answer," Gabriel said, his dark eyes burning with absolute, unending devotion. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."
Chloe smiled, tears of pure joy spilling over her lashes as she looked down at the man who had rewritten every rule he ever lived by just to be worthy of her love.
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"You're out of your mind, Gabriel Costa," she whispered, leaning down to pull him into her arms.
"Only about you," he murmured against her lips before sealing the promise with a kiss that made the entire city fade away.
