"I feel broken,” I admit.
"You're not." He squeezes my hand. "And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you stay that way."
His phone buzzes.
Again.
Again.
I tense, waiting for him to reach for it.
He doesn't.
"You can answer that," I say softly.
"No."
"What if it's important?"
"Leo is head of security, and he makes a bunch of money to handle these types of things.” He silences the phone without looking at it. "I promised you tonight. Just us. I'm keeping that promise."
Something warm unfurls in my chest.
"Tell me about your father," I say.
The request catches him off guard. I can see it in the way his shoulders tense.
"Why?"
"Because everyone talks about your mother. About Bianca Nero, the woman who took power. But no one mentions your father. I want to know about him."
Adrian is quiet for a long moment. Then:
"He was weak. That's what Bianca always said. That his weakness got him killed."
"What do you think?"
"I think he loved us." Adrian's voice is rough. "In his way. But he was cruel, especially to our mother. And weak.”
My breath catches. "How old were you when he died.”
"Twelve."
"Adrian—"
"Gemma and I were with him when he died."
I tighten my grip on his hand.
“He was so weak that he allowed himself to be gunned down in front of his children,” he says, his voice emotionless. “Our child will never see something like that.”
The way he speaks makes my heart clench, and I don’t know what to say. This doesn’t feel like the time to push back.
So instead, I leave forward and press my lips to his. It’s a soft kiss, and Adrian doesn’t push for more.
“You can’t control everyone,” I say.
He rubs his thumb over my knuckles.
