Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I look at Lodi. "Call the cleaners. Get rid of the filth and take out the garbage. Leave no signs."
I look at Marco. "Are you coming back to the hotel?"
“I'll be by after I go to the hospital to see my brother. Your man told me Helena is there. I need to clean up and change first.”
"See you at the hospital," I grumble, walking away. I refuse to spend any more time letting the name Dracos mean a damn thing to me.
antonio
Five Days Later
I comb my fingers gently through Melina’s hair. She’s resting her head on my shoulder and being extremely quiet tonight. Truthfully, she’s been that way since we got back from Greece. I’ve given her space because I know she has a lot to work through. That doesn’t mean I can keep letting it go. I’m afraid she’s going to use everything that happened to build a wall between us and that’s the last thing I want.
“Are you okay, il mio tesoro?” I whisper.
“Mmm…” she hums, and I sigh.
“You’re not talking.”
She turns her head to look up at me with a small smile on her beautiful, full lips. “I’m sorry. I just have a lot to think about.”
“Are you upset with me, Lina?”
I sit up in the bed and she shifts to her side so that she’s facing me. I do my best to prepare myself for her answer. This can’t go any further. We will not let the shadow of her father tear us apart. It’s not going to happen. I won’t let it.
Melina pushes herself up so that she’s facing me. Her brow is creased with worry as she shakes her head no. “Of course not,” she answers, her voice worried. “Why would you think that?”
“Because of what I did.”
“What you did?”
“With your father. I realize you don’t like the man, but I can also see why you’d be upset. My world is not yours. The thing is, you’re just going to have to get over it. I’m not letting you go.”
“Antonio, I’m not upset with you and stop it. You are my world.”
“Then, tell me what is wrong.”
“Listen, please. I know you did what you had to do. Does it suck that this war was with the man that is technically my father? Of course, it does. But that man was never someone I loved. He made that impossible. He grew to be someone I hated. So, while I ache with sadness for what happened, I in no way hold you responsible. If you hadn’t rescued me, I’d be dead by now. If my father was still alive, he would have killed those we care most about. Or worse, he could have killed you. That’s an outcome I don’t even want to fathom.”
“Lina—”
“Antonio, if I were to replay what happened a million times over, each time—every single time—I’d still choose you. I’ll always choose you over anyone,” she vows tenderly.
I lean down, capturing her head in my hands and craning her neck so that I can kiss her with the relief and love I’m feeling. Melina is everything I’ve always wanted and never knew even existed. She brought me back to life and I will never stop being eternally grateful to her for taking a chance on me.
“If you’re not upset with me, why are you so quiet?” I ask, even more confused than when this conversation started.
“If I tell you, you’ll be the one mad at me,” she stalls, and I shake my head.
“Talk to me. We have no secrets and no walls, remember?”
“I’m terrified that I’m poisoning our child, Antonio.”
I feel like I’ve been dropped into an entirely different conversation, and I have whiplash. I’m definitely not sure how to respond. Of all the things she could have said, this is not what I expected. “What on earth are you talking about, Lina?”
“My father is pure evil. Two of my brothers were just like him. As it is, Marco, myself, and Elias are all kinds of screwed up and don’t get me started on Gio and Sebastian. That man’s blood runs through my veins. That means it also will run through our child’s veins. What if he or she turns out like him? Or hell, what if it is like Aden and Atlas? Maybe I’ve already poisoned my baby.” Tears begin running down her face and my gut churns that she’s been carrying this worry and I didn’t see it. I should have stopped this in its tracks before it got its claws in her.
I pick her up and pull her onto my lap. I kiss her to stop any more words from coming out of her mouth. When I pull back, she’s staring up at me with tear filled eyes, confusion and sadness swamping her features.
“Lina, stop. That’s the last thing you need to worry about. You are nothing like your father.”