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He’s right. Eyes are a defining characteristic.
“With Isabel’s death,” he continues, “now is a good time to talk to her. The longer you wait, the harder it will be for her to hear the truth. Eventually, so much time will pass that it will become almost impossible for her to forgive the lies.” He lowers himself to his haunches, beside me. “I don’t want that for you,” he murmurs so softly, I can barely hear him.
Anger rips through me, chased by sorrow and frustration. I don’t want that for me, either. But I can’t bear to tell her. “What am I supposed to say?You’re the parting gift of a monster. A bonus baby from a rape.There are no words to make it okay. I can’t tell her.”
“You can. And you will.”
The end.He’s going to force my hand. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but he will. I hear the determination in his voice.
“I’m her mother. You’re not entitled to make this decision—oranydecision with regard to her.”
“I’m through discussing this—for tonight.” He cups my face. While his hold is gentle, I can’t wrest myself away. “But know this. I intend on keeping you both safe. At any cost. We’re not always going to agree on the methods, but you need to trust me. Otherwise, your life is going to be more difficult than it needs to be. The last word when it comes to safety—yours and hers—is mine. Always.”
I’m tempted to tell him he can go straight to hell. But I bite my tongue.
Without another word, he stalks out of the room, leaving me with something new to keep me awake at night. Not exactly a new concern, but it’s more pressing now.
I stare at the little girl for a while longer, before I set the frame on the dresser and go back to my room.Valentina’s room.
After I brush my teeth, I crawl into bed besidemydaughter.
Before he marched out of Rafael’s room, I wanted to tell him that the last word, when it comes to Valentina, is mine.I’m not giving her up again.But I didn’t argue, because a part of me is terrified he’ll send her away if I make his life too difficult.
I rest my hand on her warm arm.I won’t let that happen.
25
ANTONIO
“Have you found an assistant for Daniela?”
Cristiano nods. “I think so. Jacinto recommended Lara Ramos.”
Lara Ramos. She wouldn’t have been the first person I thought of.“That’s it? One name? He didn’t have anyone else?”
“He said she fit the bill: smart, personable, and loyal. Good family. She’s Gloria and Lorenzo Ramos’s daughter.”
“I know who she is.” I’ve known Lara all my life. Her family has worked for mine for generations, and now she works for me. She’s a couple of years younger, but we essentially grew up together.
“Never liked her,” Lucas pipes up.
Cristiano scowls at him. “Did she leave you with a bad case of blue balls or something?”
“Pfft. Fuck you.”
“I trust Jacinto’s word on this,” Cristiano assures me. “He understands the stakes.”
He recommended Paula too, but Victor thinks she’s not up to the job. Cristiano might be willing to trust him on this, but I’m not. We’re talking about someone who’s going to be insidemyhouse with unrestricted access tomywife and all our personal business. I want to know everything there is to know about her.
“Why don’t you like her?” I ask gruffly with my palms flat on Lucas’s desk.
He shrugs. “No reason in particular. Something about her always seemed off.”
“Off? What the fuck does that mean?”
“She was an ass-kisser. Always trying to improve her social position. More than most. It always rubbed me the wrong way.”
Everybody kisses my ass. If that’s the hiring criteria we’re using, the whole damn place will have to be shuttered. She was an ass-kisser, I’ll give him that. And once or twice I got the impression she was offering to kiss more than my ass, but I never took her up on it, and she backed off. I never gave it another thought—until now.
