Page 227 of The Heart You Kept

Twenty minutes later Alora comes into the room, she flicks the bathroom light on as she dresses and cleans up the blood. I lie with my back to her pretending to be asleep. She eventually climbs in behind me and cuddles my back. “Sorry for worrying you.”

I lie still as I try to make sense of my emotions.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing. Go to sleep.”

“Edward.” She pulls my shoulder, rolling me onto my back. “What’s wrong?”

“Why wouldn’t I ever have seen a woman have her monthlies?” I murmur.

“Never?” She frowns.

I shake my head. “Not once.”

“Hmm.” She thinks for a moment. “I guess it’s a very personal thing for women.”

I stare at her and an overwhelming sense of sadness fills me.

“They didn’t trust me enough to….”

“Hey.” She leans over and kisses me. “Not necessarily. They probably had IUDs and didn’t even have a period.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” I murmur.

“Why not?”

“Because I never even noticed. Not once has the thought ever crossed my mind.” My eyes search hers. “Am I so self-absorbed that I don’t even know a woman’s body other than for my pleasure?”

She nods as if finally understanding my point. “Maybe…in the past.”

We lie in silence, surrounded by darkness, and while I reflect on one of my countless flaws…. She holds me in her arms and loves me.

ALORA

I sit in the back of the car as we drive through the streets of Monaco, I’m consulting on a house here today and Philippe and Stefan are taking me there.

I glance at my watch. “We’re early, can we grab a coffee and kill some time before we go to the house?” I ask.

“Sure thing.” They make a turn. “We’ll go to the main street.”

“Okay.”

Ten minutes later they park the car and we get out and walk along, I see a café. “I’ll go in here.” I walk in. “Bonjour, can I have a café Americano please?”

“Of course.” She turns to make the coffee and I glance out to the street to see a beautiful blond woman go to walk into the café toward me, Philippe intercepts her at the door and begins to walk her backward as he says something in French. What’s going on? She seems to try and catch my attention before Philippe turns her away from me.

What?

Stefan steps in and grabs her too and then they pull her around the corner and out of view, what the hell is going on? I walk out the front to see both boys missing.

“Café Americano,” the lady calls.

I look left and I look right, no sign of them, what the fuck is going on? It’s not like them to leave me here alone.

I walk back in and collect my coffee and then back out into the street, a good five to ten minutes later Philippe comes around the corner; he seems flustered. “Let’s go,” he says as if hurried.

“Who was that woman?” I ask.