And I wonder, passively, what he means by that. If, perhaps, he’s not talking about Violetta and our current reality at all. If what he’s saying goes far, far further back. Back to a boy, and a girl, sitting on a rooftop in the early summer. And him calling her Daisy. And her staring at him in the
I’m dressed very poshly today as Frankie and I walk into Lupa, perfectly on time for my lunch shift. Nico insisted I look good – not at all try to hide myself away in any clothes that made me look shy or innocent. No, he insisted I dress like I always do – or sexier, if I’m being honest. I didn’t
The bar is busy and tense today, everyone – workers and guests alike – keeping an eye on the door, knowing that the mafia world exploded last night and that shit is going to go down. None of the guests – I can tell – are tourists. Just insiders today, which I suppose makes sense. Until this is all s
Romano begins the interrogation by snapping questions out at me, fast. I stumble through my answers, suddenly grateful that Nico put me through my paces this morning – made me repeat the story so many times that I could do it in my sleep. I realize, suddenly, that he was preparing me for this – and
And I tilt my head, my eyes sliding shut, my lips parting just…just a little, hoping… But the door behind Frankie opens, and I never get to figure out whether or not he would have kissed me. Because I open my eyes, and Frankie turns, and we both lift our eyes to where Christian is standing. Franki
I’m exhausted by the time Frankie and I get in that night, and a little relieved when I come through the door to see that Nico and Christian are already there, slumped on the couch. A smug little thrill of pleasure runs through me when I see that Violetta is again absent. “Is there any whiskey lef
It is only after we’re all stuffed and on our second or third drinks that I notice that things are…cozier…than I expected them to be. I’m slouched a bit on the couch, leaning against a large pillow close to Christian with my legs curled up to my side. And as I watch the movie I realize, after a lo
“All right!” I say, probably a little louder than I need to, snapping my eyes away from Nico’s wicked grin. “That’s enough movie for me!” I rip my hand from Christian’s in the same moment that I swing my legs off the couch and out of Frankie’s grasp, knocking my blanket to the floor. Quickly, I stan
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