Page 232 of Ruin Me With Lies

When he showed up here, when he looked at me with a fire I’d never seen before, with a forceful fierceness and unrelenting intensity that threatened to knock me off my feet, unguarded, unabashed, and unhidden…

I believedcompletely.

Stefano Castello loves me.

Me.

As I am.Broken, fucked up, and all.

It might not have mattered before if he did or not, but knowing that he does…

That feeling is beyond words.

Once upon a time, when I was fifteen, I fell in love with the king of Vegas, a man who didn’t even know I existed.

And once upon a time, when I was twenty-five, the king of Vegas fell in love withme.

He promises to give me peace.To give me a life full of laughter, love, and beauty.

I don’t believe in God, but I know we’re made up of nothing but blood, water and earth.Flesh and bone.Fragile.Temporary.There’s only so much one mortal can promise another.No matter how wealthy, no matter how powerful, there’s only so much control one can wield as time and fortune spin their wheels.

But I believe in Stefano Castello.I believe he’ll spend the rest of his mortal life loving me right.And I’ll spend the rest of mine protecting his.

Damn.Who knew it feltthisgood to be loved?

Really, truly loved?

I feel...unstoppable.Alive.Whole.

Like everything, and everything, and everything.

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