“You don’t?”
“No. I’d rather ignore whatever that sick mind did to me than let it haunt me for the rest of my life. People like him and your adoptive parents are anomalies. I don’t even know if they can be called human. They don’t deserve for us to ruin our futures over what they did to us.”
I stare at her—once again amazed by her inner strength. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’ll make sure every one of our days is worth it,” I say, pulling her even closer.
“There’s one more thing we need to clear up. I’ll say it again, but I need you to remember this: Never pull something like what happened at your apartment again. Never decide our lives without talking to me first. I don’t know if I could forgive you a second time.”
“Lilly—”
“No—listen to me. I know you thought you were doing what was right. And I know you only went to that extreme because I wouldn’t have backed down otherwise. But don’t underestimate me again, or we’ll be over. And there’ll be no coming back next time.”
Chapter 65
“Sleeping all three of us together?” Bruno asks.
“Not exactlytogether.” Amos chuckles under his breath. “But at Lilly’s place, once a week. The three of us.”
For now, I silently promise myself, because I have no doubt I’ll adopt him. I won’t give up until I do.
“How many finger days till then?”
“Four, starting today,” my boyfriend answers.
“Will I get to eat popcorn?”
“Make a list of your three favorite foods and I’ll make them,” I promise.
I know Amos pulled strings like crazy to arrange for Bruno to spend one night a week with us. It’s better than nothing, while my lawyers keep pushing the adoption process forward.
“Four finger days,” he says with a grin. “I want popcorn, more popcorn, andsundy.”
“Okay. Double popcorn and sundae.”
He nods, eyes shining with joy—and I know it’s not about the food. It’s about the chance to spend more time with us.
“Thank you,” I whisper so only Amos can hear.
“For what? I’m the lucky one. I got two amazing companions.”
It’s been a few weeks since Theo and I survived the attack. Things are so calm now it almost feels eerie.
I’m not naïve enough to think Maria’s given up. If her partner was bold enough to come after us in broad daylight, I don’t believe she’ll just walk away.
My relationship with Amos has completely changed since that night at the hotel. Now I feel he treats me as an equal, not as the fragile girl who needs constant protection.
Still, like Theo and Bruno, I have twenty-four-hour security following me. Not like before—now they’re my shadows.
I don’t exactly love it, but if it gives my boyfriend peace of mind, it’s a small price to pay. Honestly, most of the time I forget they’re even there. Like the first team, they don’t come inside; they monitor from the entrance, guarding the building, which gives me plenty of privacy.
I’m still not really speaking to my brother, though I know we’ll have to sit down and deal with things soon. He’s the only family I have left.
Nora hasn’t reached out—not even one phone call.
I heard she’s busy with her divorce. And she’s apparently been avoiding public appearances.
The newspapers spent days covering the child exploitation businesses Ramon ran, and I suspect my mother’s “seclusion” isn’t entirely by choice. In high society, everything is about reputation, and I doubt her friends are eager to be seen with her now.
Nora has no bond with us. I don’t think she ever wanted one. She only cares about herself. She didn’t even ask about the attack I experienced, too focused on distancing her name from Ramon’s.
