Page 118 of The Temptation

The nurse is being very sweet by placating him, but Romeo isn’t having a bar of it. “Give it back,” he growls.

“Mr De Luca,” she says, keeping calm. She probably has to deal with shit like this all the time. “I will personally put it back on your finger when we take you up to the Intensive Care Unit.”

“I want it now,” he replies through gritted teeth.

“It’s not here. Your ring is in a bag upstairs in the ICUwith your other belongings … your wallet and shoes. We had to cut your clothes off you, unfortunately.”

That has him softening slightly. “You promise to put it back on as soon as we get there?”

“I promise, Mr De Luca.”

Chapter 28

Lucia

When I open my eyes, I’m back in my bedroom at my sister’s and brother-in-law’s.

I’m no longer in the safe house … I’m no longer with Romeo.

For a split second, I’m confused and disoriented as I blink up at the ceiling fan whirring above me, trying to remember how I got here. The sheets are cool, and the air smells like clean linen and familiarity, but it doesn’t feel right.

Then it hits me hard and fast.

The kidnapping.

The airstrip.

Romeo collapsing.

Dante desperately trying to revive him on the tarmac.

I sit up so fast that the room tilts sideways, making my head spin. There’s a dull ache behind my eyes, probably from the sedation or the blow I suffered to my forehead from the butt of the gun.

I raise my hand and gently skim my fingertips over the area, which has now been stitched and covered in gauze. I vaguely remember the doctor coming here, but I’demotionally checked out by then. Not even my sister’s hug, which I’d missed so much, could bring me back. The reality of life without Romeo was too unbearable to face. It still is.

I flick my hand around to find my wedding band still on my finger, and a whole new wave of heartache washes over me. My chest tightens and tears rise to my eyes as I’m confronted with the kind of grief I’ve never known.

I was only seven when I lost my mum, and probably too little to understand the gravity of what my new life without her held. Or maybe I just don’t remember ever feeling this kind of pain.

This is sharp. Heavy. It sinks its teeth into every part of me.

I press my hand to my mouth, trying to stifle the sob clawing its way up my throat.

“Hey, you’re awake.”

I snap my head towards the door and see Dante standing there with Caterina cradled in his arms.

This is the first time I’ve seen her since her birth, and I hate that such a joyous occasion is now shrouded in such heartache.

I stretch out my arms and wiggle my fingers, giving him grabby hands. “Gimme, gimme,” I plead, gesturing to my baby niece.

He moves to the side of the bed and stares down at me for a beat before hesitantly handing her over.

The second I have her in my arms, I pull her into my chest, bury my nose against her soft, dark hair, and inhale her sweet baby scent.

When I draw back and glance down at her sweet cherub face, she coos. She’s clueless about the kind of world she’s been given. The same world that swallowed Romeo whole. I hug her further into my chest. She’s so warm andalive, while he lies cold and still. It feels like fate gave her breath in the exact moment it stole his.

The tears I’ve been holding back since Dante entered my room break free, and I start to sob uncontrollably.