Chapter 48
Elowen
My fingers stall on the keys again.
“What’s wrong?” His voice is soft, right at my ear.
We’re in my bed. Salvario against the headboard, me against his chest, his arms wrapped around me while I try to play my keyboard. But it’s not working. I can’t focus.
My chest is too tight. I can’t get the music out.
I set the keyboard down next to Rosie. She lifts her head, eyes the keys, then presses a few with her paw.
I turn into him, pressing my side against his chest. His arm tightens around my back. His face is serious, watching my sadness.
I press my hand to his chest.
“Take me with you. Or stay. I won’t let anything happen to you. My dad’s not unreasonable, he’d understand if he met you.”
My eyes fill with tears. “Please, Salvario.”
He presses my face to his chest. My sobs break free, wetting his chest with tears.
He’s leaving tonight. And it’s already crushing me.
“Just give me a month. I promise I’ll make it right. Can you do that?”
I swallow the last of my tears and meet his eyes.
“What will you do?”
His face goes hard. “I can’t tell you, Princess. You have to trust me, it’s the only way I get to keep you.”
“Why can’t you tell me?”
His thumb traces my cheek, brushing away the wetness there.
“There’s no fixed plan yet. I’m working on multiple options.”
I bury my face in his chest again.
“I don’t know what you’re planning. But you have one month. After that, I’m showing up in Greenland with my bags packed.”
He chuckles. “You don’t even know my address.”
“I know you. You’d never let me wander. You’d find me first.”
I chuckle. “We’ll finally have sex on your black sheets. Hopefully this time your staff won’t feed me nuts.”
“There is no staff there.”
I lean back to look at him. “Where did that army of maids go?”
“I killed a few. Fired the rest.” He says it casually.
“Why did you kill them?” Shock and a thousand other emotions mix inside me.
His jaw tightens. “They tried to kill you.”
My eyes widen. “That was planned?”
He nods.
“You still didn’t have to kill them. I mean, you could have put them in prison or something.”
“It was mercy that I killed them.”
I sigh. “Alright. Let’s not talk about it. But now that you have no helpers, who’s cleaning and cooking?”
“Robots clean. I hired a new chef.”
I raise my brows. “And here I thought you didn’t like robots.” I tease.
He chuckles. “I’ve changed my mind.”
I loop my arms around his neck. “So we’re clear? One month. Then I’m coming to Greenland.”
He kisses me. “Yes, Princess.”
I pout. “I’m going to miss you like crazy.”
He cradles my face. “I’m sorry.” Guilt flickers across his features.
“Don’t say that. It’s not entirely your fault. And I don’t want you to feel guilty.”
He pulls me up, hugging me tightly.
“I love you, Salvario.” I murmur into his neck.
“I love you, Princess.” His lips brush against my skin as he speaks. “No matter what happens... please never stop loving me.” His voice carries a raw vulnerability.
I run my fingers through his hair.
“I don’t think anything could make me stop loving you.”
His arms tighten around me.
He’s gone.
The bed is empty. The room is empty. My chest is empty.
He left while I slept.
I force myself out of bed.
It’s just one month, Wen. You’ve waited through longer, more uncertain times. One more month is nothing.
I walk to my table. A folded paper sits there. I pick it up, unfold it.
Good morning, Princess,
I’m leaving. I wanted to wake you, to say goodbye, but I couldn’t find the strength.
I don’t want to go. I never said that because it would only make you sadder. You know what it feels like without you? It’s like being locked in an empty, dark room. Nothing remains worth keeping my eyes open for.
I saw the journal you asked me to take. I read a few letters just now. I should leave—the sun’s coming up—but it’s so hard. I want to steal a few more minutes of you, here, in front of me, before I go back to that darkness.
In your first letter, you wrote that you believe I love you. You asked when I fell for you.
I don’t know when it happened. I only know I didn’t want to. I wanted to hate you, but it was impossible. I tried to give myself every reason, but you were never an argument I could win. And now there’s nothing left of me that isn’t you.
The sun’s rising. I have to go.
But I’ll come back in a month. And this time, I won’t leave you.
Don’t be sad.
Don’t cry.
Keep smiling.
I love you.
Only yours,
Salvario De Falco
I’m smiling through my tears.
My Salvario De Falco.
Yes. He’s mine.
Just one month between us. I can wait. One last time.
And then we’ll be together. Forever.
I fold the letter carefully and place it in the golden box, next to the roses.
After my shower, I pull on a high-neck tee and shorts and head downstairs.
Today, all the staff is back—Ma and Pa will arrive by afternoon. I reach the kitchen and find Wendy there, positively glowing. She grins wide as I approach.
“So... how was your week?” I ask, matching her grin.
“Phenomenal.”
I chuckle.
“What about you? What did you do all week?” She asks.
“Read tons of books. Played music. Ate snack after snack. Learned to cook.” I deliver the lie with confidence.
Salvario told me he constantly loops the live security feed from inside. Jacob can block others from seeing it, but he can always see it himself, and manipulating that feed would blind him too. So I’m confident. No one knows about him.
Ava appears in the kitchen. “Miss, someone’s calling for you outside.”
I nod and head out.
In front of the main door, a cluster of guards stands around a cage. Inside is a husky.
Bruno.
The head guard steps forward. “Someone left it at the gate with a note. Said it’s for you. We ran the usual checks, it’s clean. Master wants to know what you’d like done with it.”
“Let him out. I’ll keep him.” I move toward the cage.
He opens the cage with a remote. Bruno bolts out, straight toward me. The sudden charge puts every guard on high alert.
I chuckle and drop to the ground, letting him have his way with me. He licks every inch of my face, jumps all over me. Such an aggressive boy. I grab his face with equal aggression and kiss him all over.
Rosie appears behind me. Bruno freezes, stares at her, then barks. She barks back, growling. She’s still much smaller than him, but my girl has fire inside her.
“No, Rosie. He’s your big brother.”
She nudges closer to me. Bruno growls. I hug him.
“No, Bruno. Aren’t you my good boy?”
It doesn’t stop the low growl rumbling in his chest, aimed right at my poor Rosie. The next second, she proves she’s not so poor—launching an attack on Bruno.
My soul nearly leaves my body when Bruno attacks back. She falls to the ground. I yelp, almost crying.
I rush toward her, but before I reach her, she’s back on her paws, charging at him again. She definitely has a death wish.
This time, Bruno doesn’t fight back. He just moves, dodging her attacks.
I stand to the side, watching. I think this is their way of figuring out who’ll be the alpha.