“I’d like you to consider making it a permanent arrangement.”
He stared at me, surprise lining his brow. “I don’t think that’s wise.”
I frowned, he was giving up without even trying. “Why?”
“Let’s not complicate something that happened on the spur of the moment. While it was good, you and Ria have your little paradise here and I don’t think I have it in me to be a third wheel,” his reply was terse and I didn’t understand his anger. I expected him to want this.
“Zayne, you’re not,” Gianna whispered.
He shook his head. “Thanks, all the same, I’m good.” He walked out before either one of us could stop him.
I looked at Gianna and a fresh bout of tears made it into her eyes. Clenching my jaw, I grabbed her to me and held her in my arms. “He’s not fucking leaving,bella,” I promised, kissing the top of her head, even though I had no idea how I could stop. With a fucking gun if that’s what it took to give Gianna the happiness she deserved.
71
Zayne (38 years)
When I walked into Salvatore’s den an hour after finding out I had a son, I didn’t expect to hear the conversation between him and Ria, I did. Her declaring her love for him, left my heart in a tailspin and my blood cold in my veins. Those words stripped me of the last remnants of belief that we’d had something special, that we could be together. There was no hesitation in her response when he asked her about me and had I not experienced something similar, I would’ve believed all was lost. Still, it was best that I walked away.
Now I stood in the living room watching my son play with his brother and turned as Ria approached me. “You’re not staying?” I shook my head. “Why?” Tear glazed eyes pleaded with me.
“The most important people in your life make you feel better about yourself when you’re at your worst. But you never gave me that chance to make you feel better. You mistrusted me without thought, even after I gave you every inch of me, inside and out. You were the end to my beginning buy you finished us before we could even start.” I cupped my neck, rolling it from side to side, trying to avoid that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
A silent river ran down her cheeks. “People can change. Especially when they’re young and foolish, right?”
I looked at her, my heart on a tailspin, desperate to say fuck it and hold her in my arms. To kiss her and say I’m what’s best for you but I glanced over at Salvatore on the phone and drew in a deep breath. This was their life. “But it doesn’t make the bad they did go away. Does it?”
“No. But maybe they deserve a chance to be shown the errors of their ways.” The wistful expression almost had me saying yes.
Maddox lifted his hand in a wave and I returned the gesture, glad he was getting along well with Rowan. “When love is tainted by betrayal it’s a bitter place to reside in, Ria. I prefer death than loves distorted perversion with your mind. It makes you gullible, trusting, and ultimately foolish to believe it actually exists.”
Her eyes widened. “So, what are you saying. You’ll never love me again?”
“No.”
“Why?”
