AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, I’m positive. The memories all came flooding back like a tidal wave. Bourne, the slaughter was the train bombing, and Marielle was one of the many casualties that died that day. Don’t you see? I was supposed to die because my father hated me for just existing. Lucas agreed that honoring my mother’s wishes was my best option. I didn’t argue because I knew I could not remain in that house. I concentrated on my studies andgraduated with honors. I worked hard and hoped my mother was proud of me.”
“Oh, Principessa, how can she not?”
“The joy I felt was short-lived. It shouldn’t surprise me, but a small part inside me still clung to hope. However, upon my brother’s arrival, I was crushed. I couldn’t enjoy my accomplishment because Lucas swept in and forced me to come home. I remember waking up so happy and looking forward to the next chapter of my life. However, Lucas had other plans for my future, and any dream I had was gone. I wasn’t even allowed to be happy for twenty-four hours. Not one single day.”
“Come here,” I summoned her over to me.
“You don’t hate me?”
“I feel so many things for you, but hate is not one of them.” She visibly relaxed and allowed me to hold her as she cried and continued to cry until she had nothing left. Asking Sabina to share her past has drained her. Yet, even with tear-stained cheeks, she’s still so beautiful. I was carrying Sabina to my bedroom, now ours, since she is where she belongs. I will not spend one more night without her. She was exhausted and already asleep when I placed her on the bed. I kissed her forehead and quietly left the room to confer with Edric.
I walked down the hall to my office and heard the same melody from the other bedroom. I picked up the music box and examined it closer. I had never seen anything so intricate before and remembered how Marco was hell-bent on getting this back and its contents. Could there be something inside? What am I missing here? And what makes it so valuable and worth killing Sabina over? I never believed Marco when he said it was about his late wife. Marco was desperate and would do anything to get it back, even at the expense of his daughter. By now, he must be crawling out of his skin, wondering what Lucas knows and howmuch time he has left on this earth. He’s mind to end, but I must piece together the rest of the puzzle before that happens.
My head began to pound with an oncoming headache over my silent thoughts. Finally,I closed the lid and brought it into the office to talk to Edric. If anyone can figure out this mystery, he can.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sabina
My body was floating, and I never felt lighter. The person I had been was set free, and I could finally live my life no longer in fear. It was Bourne who was able to do that for me. He held my hand as he encouraged me to tell my story, which, in a way, was his too. Marielle connected us in a way that we never knew until the night her brother, the war hero, became my captor—the captor of my heart. When I thought of life outside my estate walls and far away from my father, I thought of Bourne. I knew it was a young girl’s fantasy, but what was the harm in dreaming? I smiled and thought of Marielle. Maybe our friendship and the connection that Bourne mentioned was fate that led us here.
For as long as I live, I will never forget meeting Bourne when he visited Marielle. He was dreamy, and his eyes were as blue as the ocean. I had never seen eye color as blue as Bourne’s, at least not up close. He probably had women fall at his feet at the sight of him and, like many before me, fell hard at first glance.Yet, he was kind and talked to not only Marielle but me as well. Everything Marielle shared about her brother was true, and I had never been happier when I had the chance to meet him. I was on cloud nine for days after, and I filed it away to a place that no one in my family could ever touch.
My eyes slowly opened after a restful sleep. I looked around the room and didn’t recognize it as the one I’d been staying in. But I didn’t care because it was heaven with the soft mattress underneath me and the late daylight streaming in from the large windows.
“Ciao caro, va bene,” her voice was so calming, and I knew it was Anna.
“Anna,” I whispered. “How long have I been asleep?”
“For most of the day, it’s nearly dinnertime,” she smiled.
I sat up and pushed my hair back from my face. “Did Bourne ask you to sit with me?”
“Yes, he wanted to ensure you had no bad dreams. From the look on your face, I’d say you didn’t.”
“You’re right, but that doesn’t happen very often.”
“He’s a good man and will never hurt you. On the contrary, he will protect and love you if you let him. I know you are practically strangers, but he has never brought anyone home to the Island of Marielle or anywhere else he is connected to. You are his first and only.”
“He named his island after his sister?”
“Yes, she would have loved it here, but now you get to enjoy it.”
“Um, Anna, I don’t know what you know or how much he’s told you about me, but I’m not sure how long I will be here and if he even wants me to stay.”
“He wants you here,” we were both startled by the voice coming from the doorway.
“I’ll leave you two alone; see you at dinner.” She exited, and it felt like we were the only two people in the world that mattered.
“How did you sleep? I hope well,” he said, connecting his eyes with mine.
“I did, thank you. Whose bed am I in?”
“As if you have to ask,” he winked and walked toward the bed. Once I was within reach, he wasted no time touching me, and he began with my lips, and then his hot mouth found my neck. I was already so lost to this man.
“Are you still afraid of me?”
“No, I don’t think I ever was,”
