Page 227 of Corrupted By You

Two days later, Alberto delivered a manila envelope in the kitchen. Dacia and I were scarfing Nutella horns and watching reruns ofTeen Wolfon her tablet.

Mother sipped a cappuccino, simply observing us the way a proud parent did.

Lately, she’d been doing that a lot.

I, for one, did not mind. Dacia, on the other hand, was freaked out over Diane Hill’s sudden one-eighty.

Ever since she revealed her secrets, Mother was lighter. Like a hummingbird set free from its cage. There was a bounce to her step and she smiled more. Just yesterday, she entered my room to make my bed while I showered, and then spent an hour asking me about my writing journey.

It was slow and awkward, but the effort was there.

“What’s that?” Dacia asked, handing me a letter opener.

“It’s from Zeno.” I’d recognize that masculine scrawl anywhere.

Mother frowned as I worked the metal tip under the closed flap of the envelope.

A light tension gripped the room.

In this household, surprise messages like these were seen as bad harbingers. Considering the last time we were given one, I ended up married to one of the most infamous criminals in the country.

Official documents spilled out with an unfamiliar property name.

My mouth gaped open as I scanned the contents.

Île Darla.

My husband bought me a private island.

And he took it a step further by naming it after me.

“Holy shit,” Dacia cursed softly. Awestruck, my mother and sister pored over the certificate while I reached for his handwritten note.

Regina mia,

You once said you wantedto see the world with me. I figured we couldstart with Italy, work our way through the continent, andfinally end our journey atÎle Darla.

I believe we’re overdue for a honeymoon,mon trésor.

I cannot waitto spend my days feeding you sweets and my nightsfucking you like the pretty little whore you are.

Foreveryours,

Zeno

The part of being pregnant that sucked—besides the nausea?

The constant need to cry at everything.

This man was yanked straight out of my dreams. He was a master of all five love languages and he proved it to me every single time with his actions.

Zeno saw to my needs and wants before I did and fulfilled each one without me having to say a word.

Anything I desired was mine.

And when I asked for his heart, he cut it right out of his chest and delivered it on a silver platter, as though it had always belonged to me. As though I was the rightful owner and he was simply safeguarding it until I was ready to claim it.

There were billions of people in the world and I miraculously found my person in this lifetime.