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I pause, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“And I remember the things she used to tell me.”

My thumb brushes over the tattoo again.

“That’s why it’s here.”

Artemis looks down at the ink, then back at me.

“You wanted to remember her.”

I nod once, managing a small, sad smile.

“Even if I forgot everything else.”

Her eyes hold mine, and something about the way she looks at me makes the whole world feel a little quieter.

“I think my father would burn down an entire country if anything happened to my mother.”

I nearly inhale my water.

Coughing into my fist, I stare at her. “That’s not a normal sentence.”

“It’s a very accurate one.”

She’s dead serious.

And the worst part? I fucking believe her.

“Your father,” I say slowly, “the former mafia boss?”

“I didn’t think you followed gossip.”

“I don’t.” I reach for my glass. “But Mrs. Han does. She makes it her personal mission to know everything about the people who come into my home.”

Artemis’s mouth twitches. “Sounds like her.”

I grin. “Can’t blame her, though. She was a little concerned about ending up swimming with the sharks if she got on the wrong side of a mafia princess.”

Artemis stares at me.

For half a second, I wonder if I’ve gone too far.

Then… she laughs.

It slips out before she can stop it, soft and warm and so wonderfully unguarded that I forget what the hell we were talking about. The sound wraps itself around my heart and squeezes.

Motherfucker.

I just sit there staring at her like an idiot.

Her shoulders shake as she tries to compose herself, one hand flying to cover her mouth.

“Sorry.”

I shake my head, still smiling like a lovesick idiot.

“Don’t be. I like it.”