I nod almost shyly as Maria appears, bearing a tray of food and a decanter of red wine. She deposits them on the table and leaves without a word.
Rafe takes a slice of the thick-based pizza topped with prosciutto and serves it onto a plate before passing it to me. Then he grabs one for himself, forgoing a plate in favor of sinking his teeth right in and taking a huge bite.
“Hungry much?”
He grins around the mouthful, the sight making my stomach flip-flop as I take a much smaller bite from my own slice.
“It’s been a whirlwind trip, Elodie.” Leaning forward to pour us both a healthy glass of wine, he continues. “I’ve been so busy that I’ve barely had time to eat.”
I swallow my food, dropping the rest of the slice back onto my plate to lean closer. “Is… Is she okay?”
He snorts into his wineglass, putting a confused frown on my face before he answers. “She’s better than okay, believe me. And she’s safe, I guarantee you that. I took the liberty of enrolling her as Skye Caruso. My brother Sebastiano attends the same school. I thought it would be wise to ensure she had a support system ifshe needed it. She will visit us regularly during midterm breaks and whatnot.”
My breath catches at his thoughtfulness, and I can’t help wondering what this means for me moving forward, as his eyes darken when he reaches for my hand.
“No one will lay a finger on her. Or use her as leverage. Never,everagain,Stellina.Te lo prometto.”
I squeeze his fingers as he brushes his thumb over the back of my hand, and I watch the action as I force out words that need to be spoken.
“And when…when I go back to Nico, you’ll continue to keep her hidden…”
When I raise my eyes to Rafe, his features are tight, with eyes that are almost black and completely unreadable. His hard stare bores through me for long minutes, making me squirm beneath the force of it.
Just when I think I could cut the tension with a knife, Rafe rises smoothly from his seat. His eyes hold mine with an intensity that should scare me. Instead, it enraptures me. I’m wholly focused on the air sizzling between us.
“I brought you some gifts from the States.” He gives me his back when he goes to fetch a large wooden box from the edge of theterrazza.
When he returns, he kneels before me and opens the lid.
Contained within are photos of Skye, the ones I left in South Brook to keep her existence a secret, and as I skim through them, tears fill my eyes.
Skye’s first day at pre-K. Her first and last ballet recital. Ice-cream in Central Park last summer.
My heart fills to bursting, thankful beyond measure for such an invaluable gift.
I look past the precious images and find several newspaper articles, freezing when I note today’s date on all of them.
“What…” I raise my eyes to Rafe, but he gives nothing away, so I open the first one, inhaling sharply at the headline.
SUSPICIOUS DEATHS IN SLEEPY HAMPTONS TOWN
My eyes skim the article, my jaw unhinging further with each revelation, until I get to the end and raise wide eyes to Rafe.
“They…they’re dead?”
He nods unflinchingly, and I tilt my head to one side, blinking several times as I attempt to process my thoughts.
“By your hand?”
“No.” His answer is firm before he heaves a sigh. “To be truthful, I went there with the intention of making them suffer. I didn’t know exactlyhow, but I thought perhaps something business related…”
He trails off with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “I couldn’t have anticipated the turn things would take.”
His jaw tics as he looks at me. “I know they were your family, and I?—”
I press a finger over his lips, needing him to understand me. “They were never my family. They hurt me when I needed them the most. Sold me to a truly heinous man. Withheld my daughter from me in order to force me to their will. And they never gave her the love she deserves. We’re already better off without them, Rafe.”
I shake my head vehemently as he watches me with indiscernible dark eyes. “That’s not family. It’s the veryopposite.” I jut my chin forward. “In my time here, I’ve witnessed the true meaning of the word. How you would willingly walk through flames to protect those you love…nowthat’sfamily. And if it makes me a bad person for feeling therelief of being free from them, then…” I trail off with a shrug. “Then I guess I’m a bad person.”
