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“We’re going to be together.” He smiled as his hand smoothed over my flat stomach. “We’re going to have our baby.”
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to sink into the hope in his eyes. But all I felt was despair.
“But my father.” I whimpered. Darkness clouded his expression. For the first time, I saw the killer Matteo had hired. The man who murdered for money.
I’d never feared him before. In fact, I’d been attracted to that danger. To the idea of going against my father’s rule. But not like this.
“I have something.” He gripped my hips as he spoke. His strength seeped into my body. “A video he won’t want out. He can’t stop us from being together.”
No, it was too dangerous. I couldn’t risk my father hurting him. Killing the man I loved.
But I didn’t say that because I knew he would sacrifice himself for me. Knew he’d do whatever he had to to keep me alive.
It was the other reason I’d fallen in love with him. He might hurt people for a living, but he’d never hurt me. Not like my father did.
I gripped his arms. My nails dug into his flesh. “Adam, he’ll kill me.”
“No.” He grasped my cheeks as more tears fell.
Hopelessness pressed down on me. As much as it scared me, I wanted this baby. I couldn’t even think about the alternative. But what choice did we have?
“Hey, remember what I said?” He dropped his touch, reaching for a flower. I watched as he twisted and turned it. The ring formed quickly before he slid it on my finger.
I knew it wasn’t an actual ring. But this flower one felt more real than anything else I owned. The promise he made with it more important.
“I’ll always take care of you.” He gripped my hands. His words sealed my resolve. Wrapped around my heart and kept me safe.
I swallowed my fears as I looked up into his handsome face. He wasn’t traditionally beautiful. There was a ruggedness about him that drew me in. It was so different from the polished men my father wanted to choose for me.
“Promise?” I breathed deep, letting the scent of him and the woods calm me. Closing my eyes, I let his touch soothe me.
“I promise.”
My hands trembled on the page as the memories faded away. I turned my left one over, tracing the chain of flowers tattooed across the underside of my ring finger. The one I’d gotten a month after it had all fallen apart. The one to remind me that not everything beautiful lasts.
Some people were meant to change you. But not meant to stay. They left a permanent scar on your soul. A reminder of the lesson you learned.
I flipped the page so I didn’t have to look at the sketch. My personal book was small,about the size of a paperback. Easy enough to fit in a purse so I could draw when the need hit me.
It was full of images like this. Of me purging the past. Some days, I never thought about it. Others, it hit me out of nowhere like a kick to the ribs. Bruising my heart. Stealing my breath.
The betrayal. The pain. The loneliness.
I lost everything, everyone, in one fell swoop.
* * *
Hours later, when I was actually getting work done, the vibrating of my phone disturbed me. I heaved a sigh as I tossed the tablet to the bed.
Sometimes, I drew at my desk. Sometimes, in a sketchbook. Others on a screen. It depended on the project or what inspiration I needed.
My throat felt tight as I saw my sister’s name flash on the screen. The overwhelming yearning to see Zara brought tears to my eyes. It had been seven years since I’d seen her in person. The infrequent phone calls weren’t enough.
She’d been seventeen when I’d left. I’d missed her high school graduation. Her twenty-first birthday. Countless holidays and events.
“Hey,Piccino.” Tiny. I sighed softly as I answered.
“Sorellona.” Big sister.“It’s happening.” My spine snapped straight at the fear in her voice.
