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“And now, it’s ours to continue to protect,” I say.
She nods, flustered at the word ours. I smile, for I plan to make this all hers, too, very soon.
“Romola,” I suggest. "Should we complete it and finally bring the Heart of Italy home?”
She looks at me and then back at the diamond. She looks afraid, and for some reason, I feel the same. Maybe it’s because my family has been waiting for this moment for hundreds if not thousands of years, and I fear that what comes of bringing it together would fall short of the lore we heard growing up.
Yet, that’s no reason to hold back.
“Together?” she murmurs.
"Si, together," I agree, reaching out to take her hand, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. We walk over to the center. Her fingers twitch, eager to touch the radiant gem but hesitating, as if afraid to break the spell of its beauty. But then, she pulls her hand back.
“You do it,” she says.
Slowly, I lift the diamond, and a cold heat passes through my nerves. The diamond feels so warm, so hot, that it’s almost chilly. I shiver and notice Romola shudder.
“Your hand –” she whispers, looking down to where I hold her.
“You feel it, too?” I gasp in wonder. I thought I’d just imagined the diamond’s heat.
She nods.
The half of the diamond in my hand continues to pulsate with a strange energy. It’s overpowering and demanding, almost as though she’s ready to meet her sister.
“Romola?” I ask. “Rafaele’s?”
I don’t have to finish my sentence. Her hand reaches into her coat to unzip something. She pulls her hand out slowly. The diamond dazzles bright blue, and for some reason, both stones begin to pulse with light, taking on different shades of blue.
“Impossible!” Romola gasps, looking down at me. “The diamonds…”
“It’s like they’re speaking to each other,” I shake my head in disbelief.
Slowly, Romola begins to move her hand across to meet mine, to unite the Heart of Italy, but just then, we hear a pile of treasures hit the floor.
The clatter rings out through the room, and we turn around in shock, only to find Rafaele Bressan looking straight at us.
“Drop the diamond, Romola,” he threatens, taking the first step to the pedestal. “Don’t you dare!”
Romola trembles, petrified.
“Romola?” I whisper, egging her on to pass me the diamond. She shakes off Rafaele’s presence and is about to hand his half to me when he says something that makes her stop in her tracks.
“If you hand that diamond to Fiero,” Rafaele threatens. “I swear you’ll never get to see your father again.”
Romola gasps, sucking in the air around her, momentarily confused. Pure, cold hatred pulses through my veins.
“He’s trying to mess with your head, Romola,” I tell her. “It’s Rafaele. He can’t be trusted. He already killed your father and was never going to keep his promise to give you the body for a decent burial, remember?”
The cave’s so quiet that Rafaele hears every word I say.
"Trust me, Romola. I would not do that if I were you," he purrs. "One wrong move, and my men will put a bullet in the old man's head."
Romola gasps, her fingers tightening around the Heart of Italy. "No! You lie!"
“But what if I don’t? What if he lives? Have you truly never wondered why you haven’t seen a body yet?” Rafaele’s lips curl into a cruel smile.
Chapter 49
