Fuck.
I breathe out a sigh and close my eyes, begging the gods to take this pain away from her … begging for forgiveness. Only she will be able to forgive me, and I’ve never felt such guilt in my life.
I have to fix this. But how?
I get up from the ground with her in my arms, carrying her all the way back to my car, which is damaged beyond belief. A small price to pay to save my wife from absolute ruin. After I put her down in the back seat, I pull a blanket from my trunk and gently drag it over her, wrapping her in it tightly. Then I tip up her chin.
“Let’s go home, Tesoro.”
She doesn’t respond, but I don’t need any words from her to know what she really wants. Safety. Security. Apromise that I’ll protect her from now on, even from myself.
I sink behind the wheel and turn on the engine. Then make the call. “Franco, I’vegot her.”
MATTEO
I drive allthe way back to my house, keeping a keen eye on her in the rearview mirror. She’s not spoken a word since I put her down in my back seat, but her eyes are on me like a hawk.
I know she doesn’t like me.
It’s been clear from day one that she wants nothing more than to escape my grasp.
In fact, she tried to kill me over her imprisonment, and I don’t blame her. I would have killed me too if I were locked in this house with a monster like me.
I clear my throat. “Are you okay back there?”
She doesn’t respond, but after a while, she softly nods.
I smile at her. “I won’t let anyone touch you ever again. I promise.”
I drive through the gates of my property, and her eyesslide over the fence as if she’s registering the moment that she’s turned into a prisoner once more.
A pang hits me in the stomach worse than any bullet ever has.
I try to focus on driving toward my mansion, but it’s hard when I can feel her incessant gaze on me. I know what I did, but I’m not going to go back on my vow or my quest for revenge. I made her my wife, and I will carry that burden until the end of time.
I park my car in the garage in front of my house and exit the vehicle, then pull out my phone and dial a number.
“Leticia, contact the garage for me. I need them to fix my car as soon as possible,” I say.
“Of course, sir, right away.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you find Stella?”
“Yes. I’m bringing her in.”
I end the conversation and tuck the phone back into my pocket, then walk over to her side and open the door. I hold out my hand, but she just looks at me like she still doesn’t know how to trust me.
“Please,” I ask.
Her smile tips up, just briefly, but I notice.
Finally, she takes my hand.
“I’m glad you decided to come back inside,” I say.
“I liked hearing you sayplease,” she says.
