When I spoke, my voice came out in whispers, broken by my breathing. “What happened was a mistake.” I managed to say, watching his Adam’s apple bob. “This is all a mistake.”
His lips parted slightly, yet he made no sound, and before I could react, he leaped from his chair and circled the table, pulling me from the chair into his arms.
I froze against that chest, where I felt a heart beating wildly against my face.
“No, it isn’t.” He purred, his warm breath penetrating my hair, his strong arms holding me tight. “The only mistake was me saying those things… Leaving you alone…” he continued. His face now rested on my head, in a protective embrace. I wanted to give in, but instead, I shrank into myself and fought to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes. He couldn’t see me cry. It wasn’t fair. “From the very first moment I saw you in that yellow uniform… When you set that mug of hot chocolate down in front of me… For some reason, I couldn’t get you out of my head. I wanted to know more about you, who you were… And I convinced myself it was just curiosity.”
“Please…” I moaned against his chest, and sobs shook me, reducing to nothing what little pride I had left. I didn’t know what I was begging for. Whether it was for him to be quiet, for him not to lie to me, or if I was simply talking to myself and that stupid heart of mine.
He held me even tighter. “By the time I realized it… it was too late. You started slowly getting under my skin and into my thoughts. And I started fantasizing about having you all to myself. I thought it was just lust and that sex would be enough to push those thoughts away.” I just let the tears roll down my cheeks to the sound of his hoarse voice. “But,Dio, I couldn’t even bring myself to sleep with another woman, and believe me,at first, I tried…” The admission shook me. “But when I finally had you all to myself, I wanted to deny what I felt. I convinced myself it couldn’t be anything more than that. That’s why I left the room… and I think I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.”
I sniffed and swallowed my tears. Clinging to what courage was left, I pulled away from him slightly and looked up, meeting his anguished face, those sunken eyes in a pained expression.
“I’m nothing but collateral damage in your world.” I managed to say and pulled away from his arms, watching his face go pale. I wiped my face with the backs of my hands and took a deep breath. “We both knew that. What we did… It shouldn’t have happened. So, please…” I clenched my hands, my voice trembling too much. “Please, let’s not complicate who we are for the time we have left together.”
“Daisy,per favore…”
“Camillo.” He fell silent upon hearing his name leave my lips. “Let’s not be more than this.”
Chapter 44
Daisy Peonia Mary Parker
August, 2025
Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy
Late into the night, the conversation from earlier replayed in my mind, keeping me awake.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out what on earth was going on inside Camillo Vicari’s head.
With one hand, he pulled me toward him. With the other, he pushed me away.
I tossed and turned in that bed, the scent of lavender from the sheets seeping into my chest and drawing a deep sigh from me. Lying on my side, I fixed my gaze on the narrow, long window, divided by black iron bars.
The moon was beautiful. It rose in the dark sky, half its face lost behind a veil of shadows. I focused on it in an attemptto forget the day, my reality, and that place, all of it far too impersonal.
Camillo’s penthouse was a testament to modernism and masculine aesthetics. I preferred the villa in Castello dell’Fiero a thousand times over, with its old-world scent and furniture that looked like it had come straight out of a history book. Perhaps because it exuded life, memories, while that place was nothing more than a frivolous dwelling, most certainly used for nights of fun.
The thought made me frown.
Sitting up with a sudden movement, I sniffed and scanned the room again with a grimace. I wondered how many women Camillo brought there in recent years, and inevitably, I remembered what Fabiano had told me about his ex-wife.
I flung the bedsheets aside, slipping out of bed.
A peach orchard. For his ex, Camillo had uprooted a peach orchard.
I shook my head, trying to banish the memory and the pang of jealousy as I crept across the cold floor and out of the bedroom. I knew he’d been back for about an hour. His room was on the opposite side of the penthouse, but I’d heard the distant murmur of his voice and the echo of footsteps and doors. I’d hoped he’d already be asleep. The last thing I wanted at that moment was to run into him.
I had spent the afternoon alone after our conversation at lunch. Luca had still tried to convince me to go for a walk, but I had refused. I had too many questions in my head and zerodesire to voice them—or perhaps I knew I wouldn’t get any concrete answers.
I walked into the penthouse’s small kitchen, not bothering to turn on the lights. The moon outside was bright enough to illuminate the interior of the apartment. I headed for the fridge, hoping to find a snack that would drown out those thoughts; as soon as the door opened, I couldn’t help but smile wryly at what was resting on the shelf right in front of me.
Peaches.Huge, ripe, and as orange as a sunset.
I snorted, picking one up and taking a hearty bite. I didn’t know how much time I had left, if any, or whether Camillo was actually going to carry out his plan to execute me. At that moment, I knew nothing for certain. Still, I made a mental note as I savored the sweet fruit, which melted against my tongue.
From then on, I would save the pit of every peach I ate. I would plant them around the villa, bringing back what the other woman had destroyed. Was that petty? Yes. But truth be told, I never intended to be a ray of sunshine.
