AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I could have made her tell me, but I know how far I can push her, and today wasn’t a day for that.
I see invoices, photos, and random paperwork, but nothing significant. Nothing that stands out. It must be the photos, all of her brother. I wonder if he laid a hand on her… the urge to hurt him comes on strong, even though he is already dead.
Sitting on the sofa, I put my head in my hands and think. I know it must be a lot, going through these boxes, but I am sure there is something I am missing. And then it clicks. I didn’t stay with her last night. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing, letting her sleep while I worked half the night and then fell into bed in my own apartment so as not to wake her, but now I am thinking that her waking up without me might be the reason she feels unsettled.
I stay with that thought for a moment, and let it roll over in my mind. I hear Sebastian’s words in the back of my mind to ensure business before pleasure, to keep her focused. But I like that she wants to be with me, feels better in my presence, and my desire for her continues to grow every day. My heart tugs for hers. For years, I have dated, met women, fucked them, and none of them even come close to the feelings I have building in my chest for Emilia.
I look at my watch and decide to go to the basement garage to meet her, see how she is, and bring her back here. We have a lot to talk about.
Downstairs, I run into Carter. Doc and Ivy have just arrived, and he is grabbing their bags.
“Need some help?” I ask him, because the girls do not pack light when they come to New York. He shakes his head, and I see Emilia’s car pull up behind him. Opening her back door, I give her my hand and help her out.
“Hey,” she says quietly, and she looks exhausted. Like she needs to sleep for a hundred years. The guilt at having her work so hard festers inside my gut.
“Hey, bambolina,” I say softly, just for her.
“Emilia?” a voice pipes up beside us as we both turn, startled.
“Catherine?” Emilia’s eyes go wide at seeing her brother's ex standing right next to her.
“Oh my God!” Doc says and grabs Emilia, pulling her away from me and into her chest, hugging her close. My eyes catch Carter’s over the top of their heads, the two of us watching the interaction closely, not certain how it will go, but relieved it’s seeming to start well.
“What are you doing here?” Doc asks, bewildered, and Emilia looks at me. When I glance at Carter, Doc whips her head around to him… and if looks could kill.
“I didn’t know you were here, otherwise, I would have seen you sooner,” Doc states as Ivy comes up to stand near her.
“Hi, Aunt Emi,” Ivy says, a little reserved, but certainly with familiarity, which is interesting.
Emilia looks at her for a moment, and I notice her face going a little pale as she stares at the small girl. Her breathing quickens, so I rub my thumb on her hand and give it a little squeeze, but she is not paying attention to me.
“Did you know a butterfly can fly up to twelve miles per hour?” Emilia whispers to her, and the two of them stare at each other in silent awe. My gaze flicks to Carter and Doc, and they look a little shocked too. I look back to Emilia, who is now shaking, her whole demeanor changing instantly as soon as she sees Ivy.
Ivy nods. “Did you know that butterflies use their feet to taste?” Ivy asks in a whispered return.
Emilia lets out a little gasp, then falls to her knees, and Ivy runs to her, slamming into her chest. The two of them hold each other while the rest of us look at one another, wondering what the hell is going on.
31
EMILIA
Ivy has grown up so much since I saw her as a toddler. I feel overwhelmed. The sight of both her and Catherine setting off memories in my mind that were long buried. She holds my hand now, leading me through the corridors of the compound, a place she appears to know well, as Catherine watches us closely, and Nico and Carter take us to their apartment.
No one knows about the connection Ivy and I have, and now seeing her again, even though it has been years, it is as vivid now as it was back then.
“We’re here!” Ivy says, and we walk into an amazing apartment, one just as luxurious as where I have been staying. But this one a little more lived in, with trinkets, photos, and colorful drawings on the fridge, no doubt Ivy’s work.
“I think we need to talk. Let’s go sit in the living room,” Catherine says, and I nod as I follow her and Ivy into the living room, which is a large open-plan space, something that looks like it came directly from a Hamptons mansion.
“How have you been?” Catherine asks me, and I feel my stomach drop.
“Cat, I am so sorry...” I start to say. The guilt I feel for not doing anything to stop my father and brother from hurting her for all those years is eating away at me, even more now that I am looking her in the eye.
“It was not your fault. You were young, only a teenager, what could you have done?” Cat implores, grabbing my hand as young Ivy looks on. When I look at her, she gives me a soft smile.
“But I should have.” Instead of going straight to help them, I didn’t even look in their direction. I kept focused on work and drowned myself in it in the process, trying to remove myself from the misery of my family and keep them at arm's length.
“Emi, no. This is not on you. This is not your burden to carry. What Daniel did, what your father has done, is not on you. You were right to stay away because they would have hurt you too,” Cat says, gripping onto my hand with hers, the two of us now with silent tears running down our cheeks. I feel the pain. Deep in my chest. I know my father would have hurt me too, and as long as I was away from him and kept my head down, he forgot about me. Everyone forgot about me. It was safer that way.
