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My mother opened the drapes, and the sun spilled into the room. She turned to me, and my eyes misted with tears. Rushing to my side, she sat on the bed and felt my face as if to check for a temperature.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
Sadness filled her eyes. “How can I help?”
I gawked. “Are you kidding me?”
She glanced around, then turned her gaze back to me. “I know this isn’t ideal, but you have to stay put for now.”
“Mom. What happened to you?”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“Was it the years in prison that wilted your courage?”
She gasped and dropped her eyes. “I’ve seen and done a lot of things, Penelope. I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“From my grandfather?”
“Yes.”
My chest tightened. “So that’s it, then. He’s the monster I should’ve been afraid of all these years.” I exhaled a deep breath. “I knew this, but I had doubts. But now…” I shook my head. “I wanted to believe he wasn’t as cruel as he’d presented himself to be. Even after what he’d allowed, I hoped he’d changed or could find it in his heart to ask for forgiveness, but no. He’s the devil.”
Tears ran down my mother's face, and she nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“So what now? What’s the point of keeping me here?”
She swiped away the tears quickly. “You’re his leverage.”
“For what?”
“He doesn’t know if Dominic is alive. If he is, Riccardo thinks keeping you will keep Dominic from trying to kill him.”
“Dominic left me, remember?”
She nodded. “Yes, I do. But I also know he loves you.”
“How do you know that?”
“Your father and I went after him with a vengeance. We tried to kill him, and he spared us—not because he has a forgiving heart either.”
Tears ran down my face, and I turned my eyes away from her.
“A man of his caliber would never let his enemy walk away alive. We were good as ghosts if you hadn’t entered the warehouse when you did. It’s clear his love for you trumps any reasonable decision a person could make. Still, I think your grandfather's wrong.”
My eyes widened, and I turned back to look at her. “What do you mean?”
“I think keeping you here will fuel Dominic into pursuing you, and in doing so, your grandfather has no chance.”
I nodded and dropped my head as cries broke through my lips. “What if… What if he’s not alive?”
“I believe he is.”
Newfound hope crept its way into my heart.
“How?”
