Updated Oct 1, 2025 • ~11 min read
Sentencing day arrived with brutal finality.
Juliette stood in front of the bathroom mirror, applying makeup with shaking hands. Today, Nico Vitelli would learn his fate. And tonight, she and Roman would disappear forever.
“You ready?” Roman appeared behind her, already dressed in his courtroom suit. He wrapped his arms around her waist, meeting her eyes in the mirror.
“No. But I’m doing it anyway.” She leaned back against him. “After today, we can’t come back. Can’t contact anyone. Can’t be Juliette and Roman anymore.”
“I know.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “But we’ll be together. That’s enough.”
Was it? Juliette wanted to believe so. But leaving her parents, her brother, everyone she’d ever known—the weight of it was crushing.
“I need to say goodbye,” she said suddenly. “Before we go. I need to see them one more time.”
Roman was quiet. Then: “Agent Marlowe said no contact after today. It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t care. They deserve more than just disappearing from my life without explanation.” She turned in his arms. “Please. One last dinner. Supervised if necessary. But I can’t leave without saying goodbye.”
She saw the war in his expression—protecting her versus giving her what she needed. Finally, he nodded. “I’ll ask. But Juliette, if they say no—”
“I know. But I have to try.”
The sentencing hearing was mercifully brief.
Nico stood before the judge, unrepentant and defiant. When asked if he had anything to say, he smiled that cold smile and said simply: “I’ll be seeing you.”
Looking directly at Roman.
The judge was unmoved. “Mr. Vitelli, you have been found guilty of thirty-seven counts including murder, racketeering, and witness intimidation. The court sentences you to life in prison without possibility of parole on each count, to be served consecutively. You will spend the rest of your natural life in federal custody. Court is adjourned.”
The gavel fell.
It was over.
Nico was led away in chains, still smiling, still promising violence with his eyes. But he was going to die in prison. They’d won.
So why did Juliette feel like they’d lost something too?
Agent Marlowe found them in the hallway after. “We need to move quickly. Your witness protection relocation is scheduled for tonight. Pack light—only essentials. Everything else gets left behind.”
“About that,” Roman said. “Juliette wants to see her family one last time. Say goodbye properly.”
Marlowe’s expression hardened. “Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
“Please.” Juliette stepped forward. “One dinner. You can supervise. Bring agents. But I can’t just disappear from their lives without a word. They’re my parents.”
“Who will be safer if you maintain zero contact.”
“They’ll be safer if I get closure and don’t do something stupid like try to call them later.” Juliette crossed her arms. “I’m asking for two hours. That’s all. Two hours to say goodbye to the people I love before I vanish forever.”
Marlowe studied her for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, she sighed. “Two hours. One location—a restaurant we control. Armed escorts. And Juliette? This is the last time. After tonight, they can never know where you are or what names you’re using. Understood?”
“Understood. Thank you.”
They chose Lucia’s—the Italian restaurant where Roman had taken her on their first real date.
Mrs. Rossi nearly cried when they walked in. “Roman! Juliette! I saw the news. That terrible man—in prison forever, yes?”
“Forever,” Roman confirmed. “Mrs. Rossi, can we reserve the back room? For a private dinner?”
“Of course, of course. Anything for you.”
Margaret, David, and Danny arrived thirty minutes later, FBI agents hovering discreetly at nearby tables. Juliette’s mother took one look at her and burst into tears.
“You’re leaving,” Margaret said. “Aren’t you? Witness protection.”
“Yes.” Juliette hugged her tight. “Tonight. After dinner.”
“For how long?”
“Forever, Mom. I can’t—we can’t ever contact you again. It’s not safe.”
David sank into a chair like his legs had given out. He looked older than Juliette had ever seen him—the cancer treatment had aged him, but this was different. This was grief.
“We’re losing you,” he said quietly. “We got you back from the debt, from the danger, and now we’re losing you anyway.”
“You’re not losing me. I’ll always be your daughter. You just—you won’t know where I am or what I’m called.” Juliette sat beside him, taking his hand. “But I’ll be safe. Roman will keep me safe. And somewhere out there, we’ll be living a good life. I promise.”
“Can we write?” Danny asked. He’d been silent until now, his face carefully blank. “Letters? Emails?”
“No contact,” Agent Marlowe said from her position near the door. “I’m sorry. Any communication could compromise their location.”
“So that’s it?” Danny’s voice cracked. “My sister just disappears and I never hear from her again? Never know if she’s okay, if she’s happy, if she’s even alive?”
“Danny—” Juliette reached for him but he pulled away.
“This is bullshit. All of it. You married some convict for money and now your life is over. You’re disappearing. And we’re just supposed to—what? Pretend you never existed?”
“I’m not disappearing. I’m surviving.” Juliette’s voice hardened. “And if you can’t understand why I need to do this, why I need to protect myself and Roman, then—”
“Then what? You’ll cut me off? Oh wait, you already are.”
“Daniel,” David said sharply. “That’s enough.”
“No, it’s not enough! It’s not fair! She gets to make this choice and we just have to live with it? Watch her walk away and never know—” His voice broke completely. “I can’t lose you, Jules. You’re my sister. You’re supposed to be there when I get married, when I have kids, when—”
Juliette pulled him into a hug, both of them crying now. “I know. I know, and I’m sorry. But Danny, if I stay, if we stay, we die. Nico has people everywhere. They’ll keep coming. This is the only way we get to live.”
“It’s not fair,” he sobbed into her shoulder.
“No. It’s not.”
They ordered food that no one really ate. Made small talk that felt like walking on glass. Mrs. Rossi kept bringing wine, kept hovering, clearly understanding that something monumental was happening at her table.
Margaret held Juliette’s hand through most of the meal, memorizing her face like she was trying to press it into permanent memory. David talked quietly with Roman about taking care of his daughter, getting promises that they both knew might be impossible to keep.
“You make her happy,” David said finally. “I can see that. Even with everything—she lights up when she looks at you.”
“She’s my whole world,” Roman said simply. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she stays happy.”
“Good. Because if you don’t, I’ll—” David stopped, laughing bitterly. “I’ll never know, will I? I’ll never know if you keep that promise.”
“I will. On my father’s grave, on everything I am—I will.”
As the evening wound down, as the reality of goodbye became impossible to ignore, Margaret pulled Juliette aside.
“I brought something.” She pulled out a small box from her purse. “Your grandmother’s wedding ring. The real one, not the one you sold. I’ve been holding onto it. Wanted you to have it for—for when you renew your vows. You said you wanted to do that, right? Marry him again, properly?”
Juliette took the box with shaking hands. Inside was the delicate gold band she remembered from childhood, the one she’d played with at her grandmother’s kitchen table. “Mom—”
“No arguments. You’re my daughter. You’re getting married again—really married, not in some prison chapel. And you’re wearing your grandmother’s ring when you do it.” Margaret cupped her face. “She’d be proud of you, you know. For fighting for your life. For choosing love even when it’s hard.”
“I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I know, baby. I know.” Margaret pulled her close. “But you’re going to be okay. You’re strong. You’re brave. And you have someone who loves you. That’s more than a lot of people get.”
When it was time to leave, the goodbyes were brutal.
Danny hugged her so tight her ribs hurt. “I love you, Jules. Wherever you are, whatever name you’re using—I love you.”
“I love you too. Take care of Mom and Dad.”
“I will. You take care of you.”
David kissed her forehead, his hands shaking. “Be happy, sweetheart. That’s all I want. Just be happy.”
“I will, Daddy. I promise.”
Margaret was last. She held Juliette for a long time, memorizing the feel of her daughter in her arms. “Goodbye isn’t forever,” she whispered. “It’s just—see you later. Maybe in another life. Maybe when all this is over. But not forever.”
“Not forever,” Juliette agreed, even though they both knew it was a lie.
They walked out of Lucia’s into the cold January night. Juliette looked back once, saw her family silhouetted in the restaurant window, and felt something break inside her chest.
“Ready?” Roman asked quietly.
“No. But let’s go anyway.”
The FBI safe house felt like a tomb.
They had four hours before the transport to their new lives. Four hours to pack what little they’d accumulated, say goodbye to the people they’d been, prepare for whatever came next.
Juliette sat on the bed, her grandmother’s ring in her palm, and finally let herself fall apart.
Roman held her through it, saying nothing, just being there. When she finally quieted, exhausted from crying, he pulled back to look at her.
“We don’t have to do this,” he said. “We could run on our own. Take our chances without the FBI.”
“And die within a month?” She shook her head. “No. We do this right. We disappear. We survive.”
“Then let’s make tonight count.” He stood, holding out his hand. “Before we stop being Roman and Juliette. Before we become whoever they make us. Let’s have one last night that’s ours.”
She took his hand.
They made love slowly, tenderly, memorizing each other. Every touch felt precious, significant, the last time they’d be these people in this way. Juliette traced the scars on Roman’s body, kissed each one, while he worshiped her like she was something holy.
“I love you,” he whispered against her skin. “Juliette Marie Sinclair Carver. I love every version of you. Every name. Every life.”
“I love you too. Roman Victor Carver. My husband. My partner. My everything.”
Afterward, they lay tangled together in the darkness, neither wanting to sleep, neither wanting these final hours to end.
“What do you think our new names will be?” Juliette asked.
“Something boring. Smith or Johnson. Federal bureaucracy isn’t known for creativity.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” she laughed. “Like the movie.”
“Except we’re not trying to kill each other.”
“Not yet anyway. Give it fifty years of marriage.”
He smiled, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I can’t wait.”
“For fifty years or trying to kill each other?”
“Both.”
They talked until dawn, making plans for a future they couldn’t predict. Where they’d live—somewhere with mountains, they decided. What they’d do—simple jobs, quiet lives. Maybe a dog. Maybe, someday, children.
“Little versions of us running around,” Roman mused. “Terrifying thought.”
“They’d be beautiful. Your eyes, my stubbornness.”
“God help them.”
“God help us.”
Dawn broke—their last sunrise as Roman and Juliette. They watched it together from the bedroom window, wrapped in sheets, holding onto each other like anchors.
“No regrets?” Roman asked.
“None. You?”
“Not a single one.” He turned her to face him. “Juliette, whatever happens next, wherever we go, whatever they call us—you’re my wife. My home. The only thing that matters.”
“Forever,” she promised.
“Forever.”
At 8 AM, Agent Marlowe knocked on the door.
“It’s time.”
They dressed in silence. Packed the few things they were allowed to take—clothes, the grandmother’s ring, a single photo of her family that Marlowe had reluctantly approved. Everything else stayed behind.
At the threshold, Juliette paused. Looked back at the safe house where they’d hidden, fought, loved, survived. This was the last place she’d be Juliette Carver.
After this, she’d be someone else entirely.
“Ready?” Roman asked, echoing that first day in the prison consultation room when everything began.
Dawn broke—their last sunrise together before his dangerous meeting, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to shatter.
But they’d survived before.
They’d survive again.
Together.
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