“You do?” I ask, turning to him, my eyes sweeping over his very simple sweatshirt and pajama pants. Nico turns to me with a smirk, lowering the garment bag a little. “I mean, if you want we can let Frankie pick –“ “Nope!” I say, grabbing my coffee and hurrying to his side. “Which shoes am I brin
But Christian just laughs, turning to glance at me over his shoulder as Nico pulls out of the garage. “Don’t listen to him,” he murmurs, “I put the cash in a bank account for you, Iris, obviously. It will all be waiting for you, with interest, whenever you’re ready to spend it.” “Oh,” I say, my ey
“Can I please have a little more specific advice?” I beg, anxious now as I feel Nico start to slow the car. Christian nods, understanding. “Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to, and if you do, always tell the truth. But don’t tell too much truth – just as much as you need to satisfy the questions.
My breath starts to come fast as we walk up the stone steps to the mafia mansion. And not because I’m winded – I’m pretty fit, actually, what with all of the dancing. But the tension that builds in me – god, who the hell lives in a place like this? What control of wealth do they have, to be able
I step forward, not saying anything else to her, and Giana turns to watch me go. To my surprise, though, before we can make it very far down the hall two kids come streaking out of a door, their clothes unkept and their attitudes worse. “Mooooom!” the little girl screeches, and I turn to watch her
I come to a stop before him, tucking my hands behind my back, standing about a food behind Christian, who doesn’t look back at me. “She hasn’t given you an ounce of trouble, dad,” Christian sighs, pressing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Honestly, this whole thing is ridi
“Well!?” he shouts, making me jump. And, unraveled as I am by the sheer power and terror of this man, I fall back on what Christian told me to say: the truth. “Um,” I say, glancing at Christian again and then giving a hesitant little shrug. “I guess he just…likes me.” Don Romano studies me for
“Steven,” I whisper, my hand immediately going to my mouth. Because even though his head is covered in some kind of potato sack, I know that’s him being hauled in with his hands tied behind his back, stumbling over the shoes I bought him for Christmas. Christian is instantly in action, stepping in
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I