I set down the rose I'd been trimming. "Why?"
"Change of scenery. Good for the baby."
I stared at him. Change of scenery. Good for the baby. The excuse was so flimsy I didn't bother calling him on it. Emily wasn't even a month old. She didn't know what town she was in. What difference would a change of scenery make?
"No." I picked up the shears again and kept trimming. "I finally settled here. I'm not just picking up and leaving."
Enzo went quiet. Then he tried a different angle.
"Could you at least stay inside for the next few days? I'll handle things at the shop."
The shears snipped through a stem. My hand froze.
Stay inside for the next few days.
Those words were a key, unlocking a door in my memory I'd tried so hard to bolt shut. Those days had been torture. My world compressed to the size of a house. Not even the yard. Sunlight only reached my face through glass. I'd grown quieter and quieter, like a decorative object on a shelf, only taken down and handled when Enzo came home.
"Stay inside?" I set down the shears and looked up at him, my voice cold. "Are you serious?"
"Chloe, this time is different."
"It's always different." My jaw tightened. "I'm not accepting any version of 'stay inside' ever again, Enzo. If you want to lock me up, forget it."
Pain flashed across Enzo's face. His right hand drummed absently on the counter, over and over, like he was fighting some internal battle.
I put down the shears, came out from behind the counter, and stood directly in front of him.
"Just say it." My voice was steady but firm. "No more hiding things from me like before."
Under my gaze, Enzo's evasiveness and hesitation slowly fell away. His shoulders loosened slightly, but his expression grew heavier.
He sighed.
"There's a hit squad headed for this town. Target's me, you, and Emily."
The air froze. The sweet scent of roses and lilies suddenly turned sharp in my nose.
"It's an elite squad my father Carmine trained years ago. Julian hired them. These aren't regular thugs—they're professionals. Four to six of them. They've been casing the town for at least three days."
My fingers went cold.
"When did you find out?"
"Three days ago."
"Three days ago?" My voice climbed. "You found out three days ago that someone wants to kill us, and you're only telling me now?"
"I needed time to confirm the situation. Moving without knowing their numbers and positions would've been more dangerous." Enzo reached out like he wanted to touch my face, soothe me. I turned my head away.
"Why didn't you tell me right away?" My fingers clenched Emily's blanket. "Enzo, you made another decision for me. You figured I didn't need to know. You figured you could handle everything yourself. You figured telling me would just make me panic. Right?"
Enzo closed his eyes briefly. "Yes."
At least he didn't lie this time. Progress. Progress that made me want to curse.
"But I'm telling you now," he said, opening his eyes to look at mewith that tenderness I'd seen so often these past few days. "Because you told me not to hide things from you anymore. I remembered."
That doused half my anger. Okay. At least he was trying to change.
