Chapter 31
Elowen
I push a reluctant bite of lasagna into my mouth. I have no appetite. My mood is extremely sour. I hate this situation so much.
Why does everything have to be so complicated? When will Dad’s investigation end so he can tell me Salvario isn’t the man he thinks he is? I know he’s wrong.
I force another bite in.
“What’s wrong, Weni? Don’t you like the food?” Mom asks.
“No, it’s good. I’m just not very hungry. I had snacks this evening.”
“Ahh... then don’t force it. Just eat what your stomach wants.” She gives me a warm smile.
I nod and take a long gulp of water.
She resumes her conversation with Aunt.
Uncle Alex, Aunt Abi, Mom, and Dad all live here together.
“Travis mentioned you met someone in the park,” Dad says.
I nod, keeping my expression neutral.
“Who?” Mom asks, perking up.
“A neighbor. Jonathan.”
Uncle frowns. “I’ve never heard of any neighbor named Jonathan.”
“He said he just moved in.”
“You actually talked to him?” Mom asks, eyebrows lifting.
“Yeah. He’s kind of cute.” I shrug, aiming for casual.
She grins. “Well? Ask him to come meet us.”
I groan. “I literally just met him today, Mom. It would be beyond weird to invite him over to meet my family.”
“She has a point,” Aunt concedes.
“Fine—at least show us a picture.” Mom’s excitement is palpable.
“I don’t have his picture.”
But even if I did, I wouldn’t show it to my mother. She found him strange just this afternoon. One raised eyebrow from her would be enough to make my dad suspicious. He would still investigate him, but with suspicion, the investigation would be harsh enough to dig up the truth.
I just hope Salvario came with enough backup to protect himself.
“Did you at least get his number?” Mom asks, hopeful.
I shake my head.
“You find him cute, and you didn’t even get his number?” Aunt sounds genuinely devastated.
“It would’ve been too fast. I literally just met him.”
I just hope no one here knows how close we were sitting.
I look at my dad. “Can you ask your security not to hover around me all the time? It feels so strange.”
He shakes his head. “That’s non-negotiable, Princess.”
I sigh. “Can’t they at least give me some privacy?”
“I’ll think about it.”
I know how this will play out. Once he investigates Jonathan and the results come back clean, only then will he allow me to spend time alone with him. So basically, it all depends on how well Salvario has woven this web of a fake identity, whether my dad will let us be alone together.
Salvario
“Bruno. Enough.” My voice comes out colder than intended. He stops tugging at my leg and sits, but pointedly turns his face away from me.
He spent last night whining. This morning he sat by the front door of the apartment. Now, since the afternoon, he’s been tugging at my leg, trying to pull me outside.
And now I feel bad for snapping at him.
I push back from my desk. “Fine. Let’s go.”
I know what he’s feeling—the maddening need to be close to her and never let go.
His face brightens. He trots ahead to the door. I grab the leash from the hook and pull the door open; he bolts out. I close it behind us and head for the elevator. He’s already there, circling impatiently in front of the closed doors. I press the button for the ground floor.
It’s not a large building, but large enough that the elevator stays busy. I bought this place the day of her concert.
A woman arrives at the elevator waiting area and smiles.
“Hey. You’re new here?”
I nod.
She glances at Bruno and reaches out to pet him. He growls.
“He doesn’t like being touched by strangers.”
She lets out an awkward chuckle and withdraws her hand, then extends it toward me.
“I’m Sarah.”
I ignore it. “Jonathan.”
She withdraws her hand and chuckles again. “I live in 344. You?”
“346.”
The elevator arrives. The doors open. Bruno enters first and settles on his haunches. I step in beside him, maintaining a deliberate distance from the woman. I bend down, clip the leash to his collar, and straighten.
“When did you move in?” She edges closer as she asks. The proximity grates on me.
“Day before yesterday.” My voice is ice. I wouldn’t answer a single question if I didn’t need this “civil citizen” image to deceive Alessio.
“Where are you from originally?”
“Florida.” I don’t bother glancing at her.
“Oh wow. It’s my favorite city.” Her excitement sounds forced.
When we reach the ground floor, she steps out, then turns and extends a card.
“We could have dinner sometime. Call me.”
I take it without a word and walk past her. The second I’m outside, I spot a dumpster and drop the card in without breaking stride.
Bruno strains at the leash, pulling me toward the park. If I let go, he’d run straight there.
Once we’re inside, he scans the area.
He looks up at me.
“She’s not here.”
His ears droop. All the energy drains from his body. I lead him to a bench near the entrance and sit. He settles at my feet, his gaze locked on the gate.
So are mine.
The anticipation of seeing her again tightens like a fist in my gut.
Suddenly Bruno bolts into a run. She hasn’t even entered the park yet, but he must have caught her scent from far away.
Five minutes later, she walks in—Bruno at her side, her little pup perched on his back.
Elowen is giggling, patting his head, and he revels in it, enjoying having her attention all to himself.
I rise slowly. She still hasn’t looked my way. But for me, everything stops the moment she appears.
Finally, her gaze finds me—and the world, what’s left of it, falls away.
Her smile brightens. Her steps quicken. My heart fills with a warmth so fierce it melts the decades of ice covering it.
She reaches me and throws her arms around me. I gather her close, breathing in roses. In this moment, I want nothing more. She is the answer to prayers I never dared to speak. The life I never imagined I’d get back. All the suffering, the pain, the longing—it ends here. With her.
I finally loosen my hold, only when I’ve drunk my fill of her warmth.
She doesn’t pull away completely. Instead, she mouths, I have my phone, with an exaggerated pout, then steps back.
“How was your day?” She asks cheerfully.
“Good. Yours?”
“Mine too.” She tucks her hands into the pockets of her thick lavender jacket.
“It’s freezing here. I’m not used to this.” She shivers and sneezes. “Today feels particularly bitter.”
I frown. “You’ll get sick out here.”
She waves it off. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. And you don’t even have a hat.”
“So what do you suggest, then?” She tilts her head.
“Go home.” The bitter words force their way past my clenched teeth.
Her health matters more than the selfish desire to keep her close for a few hours.
“Why don’t you take me to your place instead? We could watch a movie. Have dinner.”
My brows lift. So she’s been acting this whole time. She deserves praise for it.
“Let me ask my dad?”
She pulls out her phone and makes a call.
“Dad? I’m going to Jonathan’s for dinner.”
She listens for a long minute.
“Okay. Okay, I will. Love you. Bye.”
She pockets the phone. “He said yes. But I have a nine o’clock curfew.”
I smile.
She pokes my cheek, grinning. “You’re a beautiful man, Jonathan.”
I chuckle, take her hand, and lead us toward the exit.
“Wait—Bruno’s leash.”
She picks it up from the ground, kisses his head, and we start walking again. I take her hand once more.
Her bodyguards follow. They begin spreading out as we approach my building. A handful remain downstairs. Two enters the elevator with us. Four wait for the next one.
The elevator doors open on my floor. Desperation claws inside me. My hands burn with it, the desperate urge to pull her behind the door and let all the restrained fire engulf us both.
But there’s a show I have to maintain.