Chapter 19 #2
It’s breaking my heart doing this to her but I know it’s for the best. After how I treated Aurora, she deserves her freedom. She deserves to make her own choices.
I can’t be a selfish possessive asshole when it comes to her anymore.
Aurora is silent on the drive to her father’s house. Neither one of us knows what to say to the other.
“I guess this is goodbye,” she murmurs once we’re parked outside the small cottage.
“If you want to return to me, then do so. But only if you truly want it. I’ll always keep you safe and if that means keeping you away from me, then I’ll do it.”
She looks into my eyes for a long moment before giving me a small kiss. It lingers for just a moment before she pulls away and gets out of the car. I watch her knock on the door and watch as her father opens it, pulling her into a hug. The light in both of their eyes.
And I drive away, knowing this is for the best, even if it’s breaking my cold, dark heart.
Aurora
The sight of my father fills my heart with hope.
“Aurora, what are you doing here?” His eyes rake over me once he pulls back from our hug. “Why are you covered in bandages?”
My dress can’t hide the bandages on my legs or my arms but the ones on my stomach are still covered. The less my dad knows, the better.
“I’m fine, Dad.”
“Did Gabriel do this to you?” He looks behind me and when I turn around, I see that Gabriel has already left.
“No. He didn’t. Trust me. He let me go, Dad. He wants me to have my own freedom.”
“Really? That’s wonderful if it’s true but I don’t trust him. He could take you back at any moment.”
I remember the look in Gabriel’s eyes. The fixed rigidity. He is determined to keep me safe, even if it’s not with him.
“Let me inside and I’ll explain everything.”
Once me and my dad are seated on our old couch that is falling apart, I tell him about how Giovanni kidnapped me. I leave out some of the more gruesome details. He doesn’t need to know how many times Giovanni cut me. Or Ginevra’s part in it. How she hated me because of my relationship with Gabriel.
But I do tell him how Gabriel was shot and still came to my rescue.
“He did all of that?” he asks in wonder. “Really?”
“He did. He was shot in the chest. He even had surgery the day before he saved me. I was about to die because of Giovanni but Gabriel saved me. He fought for me and now he let me go. He wants me to be safe and he doesn’t think I’m safe with him.
But he also wants me to have a choice in my life.
If I want to return to him, I can. But I have to make the choice. Not him. And not you.”
“You can’t go back to him. This is our chance to be free of the mafia.”
“And go where? We still don’t have a lot of money. All the food you’ve been given was provided for by Gabriel. We’ll still be stuck in this life.”
“You shouldn’t go back to Gabriel just because you’re worried about me. Don’t do it for me. I don’t want that.”
I shoot to my feet. “I want to go back to Gabriel because I love him.”
My father’s eyes widen and it takes him a long moment before he can speak. “You… love him?”
“I love him, Dad. He saved my life. He willingly let me go so I could make my own choice about my future. I want you kept safe, yes. I want you to be healthy. Our situation hasn’t changed in that regard.
But I don’t want to go back to Gabriel for you anymore.
I know you’re safe now. He won’t hurt you.
I want to go back to him because I love him.
I didn’t ask for him to push me away but I know why he’s doing it.
And it’s for that reason that I love him even more.
I need you to see that. I need you to be happy with that.
I need you on my side when it comes to Gabriel. Please.”
“What would that entail?”
“You could come live with us. Or I could ask Gabriel to provide you with a better house. You’d be taken care of. And I could be with the man I love, who protected me in a way no one else ever has.”
Dad bows his head in shame. “Not even I could protect you.”
“You tried,” I whisper, kneeling down before him and taking his hands in mine. “You really tried. And I love you so much for it. Let me take care of you now. Let me be with the man I love. I need your support. Your approval. I need it, Dad.”
He stares at the floor for a long moment before looking in my eyes. “Then I want you to have it. I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy. If being with Gabriel makes you happy then… then I’ll accept it. I’ll support it.”
“I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. I promise. I love him, Dad. I want to be with him. Gabriel giving me my freedom back makes me love him even more. He’s choosing to be selfless just like I was. But I’m tired of being selfless. I want what makes me happy and he, for some reason, makes me happy.”
My father cups my face between his hands. “Then I want that for you. I just want you to be happy. Even if it means giving you over to the mafia, I’ll do it. Gabriel has shown he’ll fight for you. What more could a father want? I can’t keep you safe but he can.”
“Dad,” I whisper as my tears hit me. “I love you. So much. Thank you for this.”
He pulls me into a deep hug, holding on like he never wants to let me go. And for a moment, I don’t want to let him go either, but I know I need to. My future is with Gabriel. My husband can try and push me away all he wants for my own safety but I know there’s no one who will keep me safer.
There’s no one else I want to spend my future with.
“I’ll spend the night here,” I say. “And then tomorrow, I’ll return to Gabriel. And I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. I’ll make sure you’re happy.”
“And I’ll make sure you’re happy too. I love you, Aurora.”
“I love you too.”
We cling to each other for a long time after, knowing that our future is going to look different, but it’s the best thing for both of us.