The fantasy shatters as quickly as it forms.
I'm not going anywhere.
Not anymore.
Mirabella needs her father. Adriano deserves to know his daughter. And I've run out of places to hide.
Four years of careful anonymity. Of looking over my shoulder, waiting for either the Bratva or the Dantes to find me.
And now they both have.
What was I thinking to tell Adriano the truth about his being Mirabella’s father?
Morally, I know it was the right thing to do.
But now I have a new risk.
That Adriano will take her from me.
The way he looked at her tonight, with wonder and fierce possession, he'll never let her go now.
And so now I’m trapped in the place I once fled.
I slip into bed beside Mirabella, drawing her warm little body against mine.
Her sleep-heavy limbs curl into me instinctively, so trusting and innocent.
As I lie in bed waiting for sleep to come, a new fear takes root.
What if Adriano decides I'm unfit?
What if he claims her as his own and pushes me out?
The thought of Mirabella being taken from me nearly stops my heart.
I've survived everything the past four years have thrown at me, but losing her would destroy me completely.
And if Adriano learns the full truth about my past? About why the Bratva wants me so desperately? The betrayal would be too much even for him to forgive. His hatred would be justified.
I’m again confronted with the knowledge that my selfishness has put her in danger.
For years, I considered the possibility of leaving her somewhere safe, with a normal family who could give her everything I couldn't.
I even drove to a church once, infant carrier in hand, before turning back.
I couldn't do it then. I can't do it now.
Even if staying means enduring Adriano’s disgust.
She is my heart. Where she goes, I go. Whatever it costs.
My fingers drift to my lips, still feeling his kiss.
For that stolen moment, years melted away.
He was passionate yet tender.
Perhaps it’s a sign we could recapture what was lost.
