Frankie just nods, perhaps intuiting that I’m in a mood. When I’m finished, I turn sharply towards the stairs and start towards them. “You gonna eat that in bed, Iris?” he calls. “No,” I call back over my shoulder, moving swiftly before I lose my nerve. “I’m not hungry.” If Frankie has anythin
“Iris.” There’s a hand on my shoulder, giving me a soft shake. Drowsy, my eyes slowly open and I frown, confused, looking around. But when I see who it is, I sigh, and press my eyes shut again, and turn over in the bed. “Go away, Christian.” “Iris,” he says again, sterner this time, a sigh o
I stay still, still looking hard at him, waiting for this to get better. “Lucy is well aware,” Christian continues, “that when she lost Tony, she lost her tie to this family. If she wants to stay under our protection she…needs a new one. Her offer to me – to become…a woman whose company I…enjoy…”
The next morning I wake up in Christian’s arms, my head nestled warm against his chest. But even if I am incredibly cozy here with my husband, my stomach growls deeply, letting me know that it has plans beyond me continuing to lay here. I sigh, closing my eyes, trying very hard to ignore it. But
“I did,” he says, leaning against the counter, still watching me. “What, do you have a problem with it?” “I just prefer a darker roast is all,” I murmur, stepping a little closer and standing up on my toes as I pull open the cabinet where I located the coffee yesterday, wondering if I can just…acc
I frown at Elio as he watches me drink, not understanding his change in expression. But it’s soon wiped away as he heaves a little sigh, studying me. “So,” he says, casual. “You knew our little Cristian growing up, did you?” “Yes,” I say, holding my mug tight in my hands, wondering where the tra
“That’s right, little slut,” he murmurs, groping me with abandon while he holds me tight. “This is how you should be anyway – not some jumped up little donna who caught my little brother in some kind of sexual haze – just a pretty face, here to do whatever I want her to do –“ I moan in fear and mo
I gasp suddenly awake, my heart pounding, sitting up fast in my bed. Immediately, I realize that that was a mistake as a wave of nausea courses through me and my head spins, aching more than it ever has in my life. I groan, my whole body shaking suddenly with shivers as my stomach clenches. I
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