Page 143 of Lovely Venom

“Goodnight.” I swallow, hoping he can’t hear the torment in my voice.

“Goodnight, Chantel.”

The next few days continue in a similar fashion. Cristian gets up, goes to work, and we barely speak. I see him at the dinner table, but the tension is palpable, and I’m sure everyone notices.

I spend my time keeping up my conditioning routine and visiting with the girls, though I’m not very present.

I’ve thought about leaving at least a dozen times, yet something holds me back.

Realistically, all I’d need to do to escape is make it to the other side of the island. Ares could get me out. But even considering it feels like a betrayal to Cristian, because I know that would wound him the most.

There’s no question the Vitales are digging into my past. And while Ares assured me I’d be untraceable, I’m not certain I should bet my life on it.

The Aegis network is a viable option, but that would put Mariella in a terrible position. I don’t want her to choose between me and her brother.

By Sunday, I’m still no closer to a solution. And while Cristian’s home for the weekend, it’s much harder to avoid each other. We eat breakfast and dinner with the family, stealing glances, but never speaking.

I miss hearing his voice, and admittedly, I’m getting a little desperate to satiate that craving.

Searching for an excuse, I stop by his room before I go to bed.

I find him at the window, staring up at the night sky. He meets my gaze in the reflection, and I hold it until he finally breaks the silence.

“The moon’s almost full tonight.”

“Oh?” I swallow.

“Do you want to see it?”

I nod, and he gestures me over to the telescope as he opens the French doors.

“Here.” He guides me in front of him, the warmth of his body so close it penetrates my back.

As he adjusts the telescope to my height, I close my eyes and breathe in his scent.

God, I miss that.

I miss him.

That realization lodges itself in my chest. I feel too much for this man, and I don’t know how to stop it.

I don’t even think I can.

I’m too far gone.

He leans over me to check the eyepiece, his arm barely grazing mine, but it’s enough to send a rush of electricity through my veins. My fingers ache to touch him. I just want to pull him close, wrap my arms around him, and never let go.

Instead, I soak up the deep reverberations of his voice as he tells me to look through the eyepiece. I have to shift forward a little, and it’s blurry when I first peer through it, so he makes another adjustment.

“Stay still.” His palm presses against my lower back.

It’s hard to do that when my heart is galloping in my chest, but I try to relax. He tells me to blink, so I do, and like magic, the moon comes into focus.

My breath catches as I take it in, the incredible detail truly captivating me.

Suddenly, I can understand Cristian’s fascination with astronomy.

He explains the line between sunlight and darkness, adding that the best time to look is actually when the moon isn’t full. Then he tells me he’ll show me again so I can see the difference. But as those words hang in the air, so does the lingering uncertainty between us.