“No. She wouldn’t have.” I tilt her chin up until she looks at me with those sad grey-blue eyes. “Youmake me happy. You’re all I want. And I’ve already forgiven you. For everything.”
“You have?” Hope brightens her tone.
“Yes.” My fingers wrap around her delicate throat. “Just never, ever lie to me again.”
She sucks in a shuddering breath. “Never. I promise.”
“Good. Now we just need to figure out how to stay alive. We could be at war in the morning.”
She gingerly licks her lips. “About that. I have an idea.”
CHAPTER 20
Ravenna
Cian takes my advice and sets up a meeting with my uncle Davide, Papa’s younger brother and next in line to be don. While my uncle is cut from the same cloth as my father, he’s not a bully. He’s never been wicked or cruel for the fun of it, as far as I know. If anything, he seemed to live in fear of Papa just like everyone else in our family. Hopefully, he’ll let Cian explain and they can come to an understanding instead of starting a new war.
While Cian’s on the phone sorting out details, I’m in our bed, exhausted. I swear this has been the longest day of my life. Tomorrow might be just as long, but for now, I let sleep take me.
At some point Cian comes to bed. The unfamiliar sensation of having a man beside me temporarily jolts my senses into high alert. But then he pulls me into his bare chest, his spicy and whiskey scent enveloping me, and it’s like I never left the comfort and security of his arms.
Like this past month never happened. I doze off.
The next time I wake, it’s morning and I’m alone. Cian will have already left for the meeting with my uncle. I cross my fingers that it all goes well. Somehow. God, give us a miracle today.
I shower, then reapply the ointment where needed. Most of my bruises are nearly healed, except for the new ones Papa gave me yesterday when I refused to willingly go along with his plan to sell me. Those ache, and my split lip and eyebrow throb. Even so, I’ve certainly been in much worse condition than this. And I’ll never be hurt like this again, will I?
I can’t believe he’s dead. Matteo is gone, and now Papa is too. Both of my tormentors have forever been erased from my life.
I’m free.
We’re free.
I throw on a pair of comfortable wool pants and a cashmere sweater, then sit on the bed and call Elena. She needs to know what’s going on. I’m sure she thinks we’ll never see each other again. Did Mama tell her how Papa sold me?
“Ven, are you okay?” she answers. “Where are you? Did a manbuyyou?”
“I’m fine. Cian bought me. He came for me after all. But there’s something important you need to know?—”
“Papa’s dead.”
“Yes.”
There’s a long pause on the line. “Mr. O’Rourke did it, didn’t he?”
I hesitate to tell her the truth because the more people who know the more at risk we are of exposure. But she’s my twin and she deserves to know what happened.
“He did, but he was protecting me. He’s meeting with Uncle Davide right now, so you just stay put until this is all ironed out. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“How’s Mama taking the news of father’s passing?”
She must be devastated. Or perhaps she feels the same kind of freedom that I do, now that he’s gone. He can never hurt her again.
There’s another long, weighted silence on her end. “She’s okay now.”
“That’s good. Then?—”
