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Could she read my mind? Or were we both agonizing over who and what we were?

“I’d want happiness.”

“You’re not happy?”

I squeezed her hand. “I’m happy enough.”

She squeezed back.

“I’d want love,” I answered finally.

The press of her lips to my shoulder, even over my shirt, shattered what was left of my brittle walls.

“What would you want?”

She didn’t answer for a long time.

“Quiet.”

I turned to meet her eyes in the dim light filtering through the curtains.

“Space,” she added and blinked. “Love would be nice too.”

She closed her eyes as if that possibility were too fantastical ever to be real because, for us, it was.

CHAPTER 20

Emilia

“This was dropped off with the security guard at the front door.”

Javier pushed his fingers through his hair, fully recovered after two days of rest.

“Addressed to Millie.”

I flipped the envelope over, reading what I assumed was Alessio’s handwriting. He knew my apartment number. I never told him anything beyond Fisher Island.

“It’s a power move.” Marco glared at the invitation as if the envelope held the secret of how it arrived.

“I’m not someone he wants to intimidate or threaten.” It wasn’t adding up. “To a normal person, like Millie, this is scary. It’s creepy.”

“But would he realize that?” Cruz’s leg bounced as he sat across from me on the couch. “He is powerful. He can find anything out by just asking. That’s his normal.”

“But it’s not for other rich people.” I tapped the corner of the sharp envelope. It was thick, high-quality stationery. Another thing he likely didn’t give a thought. The things in his life were all that way.

“Plus, he has your number. He could have just called,” Derek said after swallowing his coffee.

“So can I.”

Instead of sitting around analyzing this to death,I grabbed my phone and tapped his contact before putting it to my ear. It only rang twice before he answered.

“Millie,” his voice was sweeter than I expected.

“Hello,” I sighed. “I received the invitation.”

“Perfect. I’ll be there at six to pick you up.” He sounded distracted now. That could work in my favor.

I got straight to the point, hoping to catch him off guard. “I don’t remember telling you my address.”