Page 155 of Pink

“What question?”

“Do you love him?”

She knew who he meant without asking.

Lev.

The answer was easy, obvious, and clear in her mind: yes. She loved him more than even the breath in her lungs and the beat of her heart. After all, a part of her just knew that without Lev, she wouldn’t still have air to breathe and a heart to beat.

Although, that wasn’t why she loved him.

“He tried to save me,” she whispered, “didn’t he?”

“No,” Andino replied. “He succeeded.”

Right.

“And you didn’t answer me,” the man said.

“I haven’t even told him. Why on earth would I tell you?”

Andino smiled, fleeting and amused. Nodding, he replied, “Fair enough. I need you to remember that you love him. In the coming days … weeks, maybe even months. When they hammer you, when they’re relentless, and when it hurts and you’re alone and you think it’s not going to get better … remember that you love him.”

“Why?”

“Because if you do want the chance to tell him face to face and not behind a set of bars and Plexiglas, they will all need to believe it, too.”

Gigi had a million questions.

Believe what?

Where was Lev?

Arely?

Andino reached for the cup, saying, “One more sip, but then I have to go, and you need to get better. My wife will also be hounding me for an update. A huge fan of yours. She would like the chance to meet you someday. She isn’t the only one. Okay?”

Well …

“Okay,” she agreed.

Even if absolutely nothing was okay.