Page 126 of Brutal Devil

I stalk toward him. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means that you made the choice for her,frattore mio. You didn’t ask her if she wanted this life or if she wanted to stay with you. You just walked away from her when she was broken and hurting.”

Saint’s not wrong. As much as I want to punch my brother right now, he’s not the problem in this room.

I am.

And I’m the only one who can fix this mess I’ve made. I fucking love her, and if she’s stayed, maybe—just maybe—that means she has feelings for me too.

“Send me the pin.”

Chapter 30

LUNA

I take the last sip of my espresso and find it cold. Cid is purring in my lap, and I’ve just sent off a poetry submission to a highly regarded literary journal. Keeping myself busy, I’ve discovered, is one way to keep my mind off Priest.

I wish I didn’t miss him.

I wish I hadn’t fallen in love with him.

I wish so many things.

Sighing, I rub Cid under his chin in his favorite spot. He rolls obligingly, giving me more access. At least we have each other. I rescued Cid, and he did the same for me.

My phone lights up on my desk with the contact for the building’s entry system. Looks like I have a visitor. It’s taken me a few weeks not to hope that it’s Priest every time someone drops by. But it’s never him.

I answer.

“Mrs. Andriani?”

The name still feels wrong, especially since I never legally changed it and I’ll soon be getting a divorce anyway. It takes me a beat to adjust and then recognize the voice at the other end.

“Rocco? Is that you?”

He clears his throat. “Yes, Mrs. Andriani. It’s me.”

For a second, I think he’s here because he drove Priest. My heart soars. But then Rocco speaks again, and it promptly plummets to earth.

“The boss found one of your books, and he asked me to bring it to you.”

A book. Not Priest. Why would I have thought it would be him?

Stupid Luna. He doesn’t want you. Doesn’t love you.

I think that’s what hurts the most. Everything we went through, everything we shared, and then for him to turn his back on me. It was like he flipped a switch and became someone else.

“Mrs. Andriani? You there?” Rocco asks politely.

Shit. I was lost in my thoughts. Again.

“Come up.”

Cid jumps from my lap and then stretches before wandering toward the window and the kitty perch I put together for him there. I stand and take a deep breath, willing my ridiculous emotions to calm down. I should be able to hold it together long enough for Rocco to drop off the book.

I didn’t even notice one was missing. Probably because my books are still packed neatly in a box, sitting on the floor of the spare bedroom. Unpacking them felt like a final admission that everything was over between Priest and me. And I just haven’t been able to do it yet.

Maybe today will be the day.