“Had.” His smile stays, but his eyes turn sad. “Heart was Marco’s thing. Big feelings. Too big, sometimes. And far too much speed in acting on them.”
My hand goes to my chest. “I?—”
“Please, don’t apologize.” He waves it off, like the ghosts of the past are the company he keeps everyday and, for once, he doesn’t feel like entertaining them. “He died a hero. I can’t be angry at him for that. Just sad he left before I could. Fathers are meant to make their big exit before their boys, are they not?”
“I wouldn’t know.” I force a small smile. “My dad isn’t exactly the affectionate type.”
“Pity. You seem like a wonderful daughter to have.” His eyes crinkle at the corners. “Some men don’t realize how lucky they are.”
Lucky.It’s the first time anyone said my dad was lucky to have me.
The memories of my childhood home flood me. The silences, the cold, the endless expectations. And then, that day?—
“Meet your future husband.”
I’m still standing there, throat tight, when the air behind me shifts.
Footsteps.
A shadow in the doorway.
I turn just as Matteo steps inside, his expression freezing the second he sees me there.
“Rose.” His voice is ice. “What are you doing here?”
Shit.
16
MATTEO
The sight of her in this room is the last thing I expect to see. It hits me like a blade between the ribs.
Rose stands beside my father’s chair, pale and wide-eyed, guilt already written across her face before she even opens her mouth. Nori is sprawled in Moreno’s lap like he belongs there. Wasabi is hissing from the corner, fur puffed, furious at the world.
Every instinct in me goes rigid.
“Rose,” I say, and I hate how cold my voice sounds even to my own ears. “What are you doing here?”
She starts to speak immediately. “Matteo, I…”
She hesitates, like she’s trying to come up with an acceptable explanation. Which cannot exist, of course. There’s only one that makes sense.
She saw me leaving for the day and took advantage.
Even as I think it, I know it can’t be true. Rose isn’t that kind of person.
But then again, I haven’t known her long, have I?
“The cats,” she rambles. “They ran, and I didn’t realize where I was and I swear I wasn’t?—”
“That’s enough.”
The words cut her off sharp.
I step fully into the room, positioning myself between her and my father without meaning to. My chest feels tight, breath shallow, anger and fear tangling so badly I can’t tell them apart.
“Wait outside,” I say.
