And that future was worth fighting for. Worth dying for, if it came to that.
I just hoped it wouldn't come to that but in this world, hope was a dangerous thing to hold onto.
Chapter Fifteen
ARIA
That had been my first real date.
At eighteen years old, with everything I'd been through, all the training in etiquette and social graces, all the formal dinners and charity galas I'd attended, I'd never actually been on a date. Not a real one. Not one where someone looked at me like Kai had looked at me across that table.
Like I was the only person in the world who mattered.
The feeling that had bloomed in my chest during dinner, sitting in that cozy restaurant with checkered tablecloths and the smell of garlic bread, it was something I couldn't quite name. Warmth. Safety. Belonging.
Love.
I loved him. I knew that now with absolute certainty. Had probably loved him since that night in the club when he'd been gentle with me, when he'd made me feel wanted instead of like a transaction.
But admitting it out loud would make this real. Would shatter the dream-like quality of these stolen moments and force me to confront the impossibility of our situation.
Because this felt like a dream. Like something too good to be true.And any moment I'd wake up and it would all disappear. Kai would disappear. The future we'd talked about would evaporate like morning mist.
So I kept the words locked inside where they were safe. Where reality couldn't touch them.
I drifted to sleep with the memory of his hands in my hair, his mouth on mine, his voice telling me I was worth waiting for.
Morning shattered the dream with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
My laptop chimed at 8am. Incoming video call. Don Salvatore's name flashed on the screen.
"You've got to be kidding me." I stared at the notification like it was a snake. "This is exactly why this feels like a dream. Because reality keeps interrupting with his cold, dead face."
But ignoring it wasn't an option. I threw on a robe, ran fingers through my tangled hair, tried to make myself look presentable instead of like I'd spent half the night fantasizing about his son.
I clicked accept.
Salvatore's face filled the screen. Those glacial blue eyes. That calculating expression. The smile that never reached his eyes.
"Aria. Good morning. I hope I didn't wake you."
Liar. He absolutely hoped he'd woken me. Wanted me off-balance and scrambling.
"Not at all. I was just getting ready for the day. It's good to see you, Don Salvatore."
The lie tasted like ash.
"I wanted to check in. See how you're doing. Are you excited about the wedding? It's coming up so quickly now."
Excited. Right. Excited was definitely the word for the dread pooling in my stomach.
I forced my face into what I hoped looked like a smile. "Yes, of course. I've been preparing. Mrs. Rossi has been wonderful about teaching me everything I need to know."
"Good. Good." He leaned back in his chair. "I'll be home in four days. We'll have a proper dinner together. Just the two of us. Discussthe final arrangements. I'm very much looking forward to seeing you in person again."
Four days.
The words hit like physical blows. Four days until he returned. Four days until this fragile bubble of stolen time with Kai burst completely.
