Page 110 of Renascence

“We’re still piecing things together, but we know most of it.”

“And?”

“The woman who took the picture, she works for a man named Luigi Vitalli.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“He’s the same guy from that night outside the fight.”

“I remember him giving me a creepy look that night, but… why would he do this? I don’t even know him.”

Liam sighs, dropping his head in his hands. “He did it to get to me.”

“What? Why?”

He turns to me, the pain in his eyes breaking my heart. “His son Luca is facing murder charges. My father is the judge on the case. We figure he thinks he can use me to get to my father. Hurting you gets to me.”

“What are you going to do?”

“We’ll take care of him. Hopefully I can do that without having to deal with Mother and Father dearest.”

The thought seems to cause him physical pain. Laying my palm on his cheek, I stroke it with my thumb.

“What happened? With you and your parents?”

“We didn’t get along, that’s all.”

“Why?” I push, needing to know what hurts him so deeply.

“My parents acted like they hated each other most of the time. As a kid, I thought they were staying together for me. At times, I even thought they regretted I was born. If I wasn’t around, they could separate and be done with each other.”

“Liam….”

“They would fight constantly about what to do with me. By the time I was in high school, it was unbearable. My mother wanted to send me to military school so she’d have more time with her socialite friends. My father wanted me to attend the fancy private school he went to.”

I keep caressing his cheek, hoping it relaxes him enough to continue.

“He wanted me to be a lawyer like him. When I told him I wanted to go into accounting, he said the only way he’d pay for college was if it was for law. That night, I started researching ways to finance it myself. The Army won, and I enlisted right after graduation. Left and haven’t looked back since.”

“They never tried to contact you?”

“My mother sent me a letter once when I was in Afghanistan.” He lets out a chuckle, void of amusement. “To tell me how I was throwing my life away.”

“I’m sorry, Liam. I wish I could make it better.”

“I don’t need fixing, Emily. I still have some residual feelings toward them, I’ll admit, but I accepted my situation a long time ago. I’ll never have parents like yours, and I’m good with that.”

“You have me,” I offer, voice high-pitched with hope. “I may not be much but—”

“You’re everything, Emily. You’re the fucking moon and the stars, and I don’t deserve you.”

“I think I’m the one who should be saying that.”

“You keep selling yourself short. Any man would be lucky to have you. Never let anyone make you feel less than you are. Not James, and especially not me.”

“Liam.” I move to my knees, straddling his lap and cradling his face in my hands. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and that’s not me selling myself short. If I was good before, you’ve made me better. I love who I am when I’m with you.”

“Emily….”