“Is that…me?”
On the wall, slightly faded was a poster of her from a series she’d starred in years ago. She was mid-laugh in the photo, hair tousled, eyes bright.
Anna chuckled. “Yes! He’s been obsessed with you since forever. Our mother thought it was a little crush, but to hear that he’d married you, she’s convinced this was his grand plan all along.”
Emily was speechless. Goosebumps flooded her skin. She wanted to say that couldn’t have been the case sinceshewas the one that proposed to him.
As she was about to speak, the door to the bedroom widened. Nicolas entered, eyes bouncing from Anna, to her, then to the poster on his wall. The horror on his face was fleeting, before he turned to his sister.
“Ti ammazzerò,”he said.“Piano.”
Anna screamed at the words before dashing out the room.
Emily looked to see him rubbing the back of his neck.
His brown eyes danced across her face. “I can explain.”
17
“It’s…an old gift.” Nicolas nodded toward her poster. “I forgot to have it taken down.”
Emily stepped closer. “Is that what Anna’s look earlier was about?” A grin tugged at her lips. “Nicolas…did you have a crush on me?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I admired your work. There’s a big difference.”
“Just admiration?” she hummed, her eyes squinting with suspicion. “Admiration you somehow forgot to mention, even after two months of marriage?”
A harsh breath left him, his chest falling from it. “Okay, maybe it was a…little infatuation.”
His throat bobbed.
If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was nervous.
“You were eye-catching. Brilliant. Fearless. I couldn’t forget how you told me I didn’t have to be like my father. Everyone else said the opposite: ‘Follow in his footsteps,’ ‘Be worthy of the Re name.’ You were the first person who made me believe I could walk the same path…differently.”
Emily hadn’t thought that their moment eight years ago had affected him so much. It was before she’d lost her spark, when she didn’t have a filter whenever her parents weren’t around. What she’d told Nicolas then was genuine, and despite how much she’d changed, still stood true.
“You defended me today.”
Nicolas stared at her. “Of course,” he exhaled sharply as if he was bewildered why she’d expect anything less. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Despite me not being as fearless or opinionated as I used to be?” she asked in a hush. “The version of me you liked…she’s not all here anymore. Pieces of her are gone. And honestly, I don’t think I want them back.”
“It’s not despite all that, it’sbecauseof those reasons and more. So yes, Emily, I would.”
Her bottom lip caught between her teeth nervously.
His eyes followed the movement.
“You think everything about your career as an actress is tied to some people-pleasing, curated version of yourself,” he said gently. “But it’s not. Those sides of you…they’re what make you incredible. They show your adaptability. Your resilience.”
He stepped closer, his chest grazing her. “You did what you had to do. That doesn’t make you fake. It makes you strong. And now, you get to figure out who you want to be. Not who your parents expect. Not who your fans demand. Not even who I might hope for.”
He didn’t miss a beat. “Just you. That’s more than enough.”
Her head was spinning like a gig. Nobody had ever told her that. That she didn’t have to pretend about anything related to her career, or even outside of it. Everything she’d learned centered around pretense. Now he wastelling her something that challenged the very foundation of it.
Her nose was pricked by heat.
