“Those two words—never again—would have been a lie too. I’m yours, Brando.”
“You wouldn’t lie to keep me,mia moglie?”
“I would and I have. To other people. But to you? No. There are some things in this world that are not worth tarnishing, no matter how much it hurts to keep them the way they should be.”
I let those words sink in. No doubt, my wife was a rare creature, and she was still mine—a miracle.
“You deserved more than I could give you then.” Through no fault of my own, my voice came out gruff, and even to my own ears, sounded broken. “I sacrificed for the both of us. Was it right or wrong?” I shrugged. “Yes or no, you still deserved more than who I was.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You don’t get to decide what’s good enough forme. I would have loved being your wife—back then, now, ten years from now. Time makes no difference.”
“You get to decide what’s good enough for me?”
After a second or two, she took a deep breath and released it in a slow stream.
“I’ve made myself clear. I refused to make the choice for you. You need to be the man you need to be. I get that, and I’ll love you regardless. But—” She set her hand under the surface of the water and then moved it to her stomach. “But my husband—” Frustrated at not being able to find the right words, she brought her hand up and slapped the water. “My husband shows his face, and after, hides in guilt. Like he’s not good enough. You can be both beast and man, Brando. You can protect usandlaugh. I feel—I feel that’s one positive thing Luca is teaching you.”
“No,” I said, more sharply than intended.
She let go, and right before she went under, I pulled her up, turning her to face me.
“My wife and daughter teach me that every day. All that glory goes to you and Mia. If it’s even considered glory—I’m no prize, Scarlett.”
Her hands wrapped around my neck, her fingertips shriveled from being in the water for so long, and she stared at me with eyes that saw clear through me. I could see through her too. I’d said the words, but her eyes fiercely refuted the claim before she opened her mouth to speak.
“Says who?” Her voice came out slow and sharp.
I grinned. “Me. That’s fucking who.”
“Newsflash, Brando Piero Fausti. I’m the only one who doesn’t bow to your demands. You don’t scare me. I speak what’s on my mind, andIgive you nothing but the truth, so help—”
This made an explosive laugh erupt from the center of my chest. It roared in the room, echoing. “Newsflash, Scarlett Rose Fausti. You never did bow to my demands. The queen never bows to her king. Except—” I ran my hand up her leg again, coming between her thighs, and the same reaction I elicited from her earlier repeated, this time even stronger, her body arching into mine, pressing more firmly into my touch. “So help me God,” I finished her last remark.
She braced her hands on my shoulders, squeezing, knuckles tight. She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes. The green staring back at me was almost alien. It always gave me a jolt when she looked at me that way. It was a look she’d given me while she hemorrhaged, a breath from dying.
“I have to tell you something, Brando.”
Judging by the look on her face, my face was no longer impassive, but bared to her in brutal trust.
She went to run her hand through my hair, but I stopped her by taking her wrist in my hand. The bones of a sparrow in the grip of a murderous lion.
“I—” She looked away from me.
“Don’t do this to me.” My voice matched the look on my face. Pleading.
“I’ve been having nightmares. About…Cesare.” Finally, she looked me in the eye. “Horrible, horrible…” She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I didn’t want you to worry. I really thought they were from the cold weather and being in an unknown place, or from being pregnant and overwhelmed, but I feel something now.”
“Tell me.”
She hesitated, but the look in my eye refused to allow her to escape.
“Someone close is going to betray us.”
“Who?”
She wiggled in my hold, and I realized my pressure was too tight. I released her some.
“That’s the problem!” She almost shouted. “I don’t know! That’s why I haven’t said anything. I can’t condemn someone that I can’t find! And because I can’t find him, I’m condemning you! I’d condemn someone innocent—I would!—to save you, but it’s not going to help if it’s the wrong person.”
