I turn to face him, suddenly furious. "You want to know why I'm afraid? Because whoever killed my father won't hesitate to hurt anyone who gets in their way. Including my children."
"I would never let anything happen to?—"
"You can't promise that! Not in this life." My voice breaks. "You don’t know that my father’s situation is related to what’s goingon. It could just be bad luck. Or a traitor. But poking around the Vitale family puts me and my children at risk.”
"Elena—"
"No." I want to grab and shake him to make him understand, but he’s already standing too close and making it hard to stand my ground. "I've spent seven years building a safe life for them. I won't let you tear it down because your feelings are hurt."
His eyes flash with a mixture of pain and anger. “This isn’t about my feelings.”
“Isn’t it? Why is your pride more important than my kids’ safety?”
His expression softens. “It’s not. I can protect you and the kids.”
“That’s not your responsibility.” I could have hit him with a frying pan and I don’t think it would hurt as much as those words. And technically, I’m wrong. As their father, he should be responsible.
I turn away from him, unable to manage the guilt and fear that are bubbling over.
I grab a plate, the water running hot over my hands as I scrub it clean. Anything to avoid looking at him, to avoid the pull I still feel.
Luca's voice sharpens. "Seven years, Elena. Seven years I've carried blame for something I didn't do. And now I'm wondering if you've been part of it all along."
I whirl around, soapy water dripping from my hands. "What are you talking about?"
"Did you know? Did you help perpetuate the lie that I betrayed your father?" His eyes narrow. "Was it easier to let everyone believe I was guilty than to admit you just didn't want me anymore?"
"How dare you." My voice comes out in a dangerous whisper.
"Then what is it about? Because from where I'm standing, you seem perfectly content with letting me continue to be the villain in this story."
"It's about keeping three innocent children alive!" I slam a plate down so hard I'm surprised it doesn't shatter. "Everything I've done, every lie, every evasion, has been to protect them."
Something in my voice must reach him because his expression shifts, anger giving way to something softer.
"I want to protect them too, Elena." He steps closer, his voice gentling. "Let me help you. Let me be part of the solution."
"You don't understand what you're asking." I shake my head, refusing to let the tears that threaten fall. "The life we have now is stable. Safe. If you start digging?—”
“I’ll be the target, as usual. I’m not asking you to help me. There’s no reason for anyone to think you are involved or use the kids… unless I’m missing something.”
Dammit. Do I tell him the truth, or will that just make it worse?
"I know it's scary." He reaches for my hand, and I don't pull away even though I know I should. "I had plans for us. Dreams. I believed in our future together."
“That was a long time ago.”
He’s quiet for a long moment. "I had a ring. That day, I was to meet your father. I was going to ask his permission that weekend."
My head jerks up in shock. "You never told me that."
"How could I? By the time I saw you again, your father was in prison and you wouldn't even look at me." His eyes hold raw pain that’s unbearable to witness because I’m the source of it. "I had our whole life planned. A home. A family. Everything."
I close my eyes, imagining the alternate universe where we got that life. Where Luca proposed.
Where my father walked me down the aisle. Where our children were born into a family that knew them, loved them, protected them together.
"I still want that," he says softly. "Not exactly the same, but… I want to be part of your life. Part of your children's lives."
