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I also forgive her because I realize that she has suffered enough. She was trapped in a nightmare not of her own making, forced to make impossible choices in order to protect herself after she was cruelly robbed of the only family she had left.
I reach out to gently cup her face in my hands. "You didn't deserve any of this. What happened to your father, what Rafaele put you through... None of it was your fault."
Her eyes widen at my words, as if she can hardly believe them. "You... You forgive me?"
"Of course," I reply without hesitation. " I would have done the same in your place."
As we finish tying Rafaele up, I realize we've been through so much together – faced our darkest fears and survived against all odds. And now, with the truth finally revealed, we have a chance to make things right.
"Romola," I say, my voice filled with determination. “This insanity must end. I’m going to give you two choices.”
“Choices?” she murmurs.
"You have a decision to make," I say seriously. "You can walk away from me now, from this dangerous world we're living in and never look back. If you choose that, I wish you the utmost joy, but we can’t see each other. It would involve danger you don’t want in your life. Or if you embrace the danger, the challenges and this life, you can help me steal Rafaele's diamond, and I'll show you the real one that's been hidden by my family for centuries."
“The…the real one?” her eyes widen.
I give her a small, mischievous grin. “You didn’t think I’d keep the Heart of Italy in the hearth of my home, did you? What did you think that I’m as foolish as Rafaele?”
Her face breaks into a grin wider than I’ve seen in days. “Let’s do it,” she whispers. “I’m in. Let’s steal Rafaele’s diamond and put your heart together.”
“Perfect,” I whisper, now working faster. I put a tape over Rafaele’s mouth to make sure he can’t scream for help. By the time his men find him, we’d be out of here, safe.
I give her my hand and help her off the floor, Rafaele still bound and dead to the world. What she doesn’t know is that by knowing the truth at last, by knowing that she’s choosing to stay by my side, my heart’s already complete.
Chapter 44
Romola
Fiero and I stand holding hands, Rafaele at our feet. I desperately want to kiss him, to gain strength from his presence and from the knowledge that we can be together because he forgives me. But we’re still in enemy territory, and now’s not the time.
I look down at the monster’s face that’s been haunting me all these nights. Fiero brought him to his knees. Still, I can’t forgive myself for betraying Fiero on such a deep level.
There’s only one way for me to forgive myself. Stand true by Fiero’s side, the way he stood by mine.
“Fiero,” I say, bending down and pulling off the gold chain from around Rafaele’s neck. “I know where Rafaele keeps his diamond, and this chain,” I hold up my hand, “holds the key that opens the glass case. There’s only one problem.”
“Which is?”
“To get to the room with the case is no easy task. Rafaele put me on the security system so that I could scan ourselves through the initial layer of protection, but there’s a lock with three million combinations. The combination changes every day.”
“I’ve got this,” Fiero nods. He pulls out a walkie-talkie attached to the back of his jeans.
“Rico,” he barks. “We need backup. Romola’s safe, but I have a chance to get Rafaele’s Heart.”
I hear Rico gasp.
“Get the hackers into their security system.” Fiero turns to me. “Where’s the code box?”
“It’s at the end of a long hallway filled with artwork, just after an eye and fingerprint scanner,” I tell him.
“You heard what she said,” Fiero says. “There’s a complex security lock. Hack into it and disengage it. We need to get through.”
“Yes, boss. There are men crawling all over the place. How will you get there?”
Fiero looks at Rafaele on the floor. “Their boss is …busy, we can say. They’re weak without directions. Attack and draw them out onto the grounds.”
“Copy that.”
