Page 125 of The Temptation

Did he really think this far ahead?

Did he hope for a future with me too, even if he’d never said those words aloud?

I press my hand to my mouth, trying to steady the sudden rush of emotions. For a moment, all the fear, anger, and uncertainty melts away, leaving only the quiet and impossible hope that maybe, just maybe, he meant the words he spoke to Dante on the video after his surgery.

Reluctantly, I slip the ring off my finger and put it back where I found it. I probably shouldn’t be going through his personal things, but he’s so closed off that at times he feels like a stranger. I want to get to know him better. The real him. The good, bad, and ugly parts. The man I’ve seen snippets of during our time here together.

I debate whether to look at the piece of paper. I’m thinking it’s just a receipt, but when I unfold it, I realise that’s not what it is at all.

It’s a note he wrote … to me.

To me!

Lucia,

Even if this ends the way we said it would, Iwant you to know what you mean to me. You’ve changed me in ways I never imagined, and every moment with you, whether stolen or shared, is a part of me I’ll never regret.

I’ve done my share of stupid shit over the years, but loving you isn’t one of them. Even when I stumble, the choices I make somehow bring me back to you. You’re the one constant I can’t imagine living without, and I’ll carry that truth with me, no matter what.

I’ll always protect you, even if I’m not the man you deserve. I may falter, I may even fail, but I’ll never stop trying to keep you safe, to keep you close, and to honour what we have, even when no one else understands it.

Even when I don’t fully understand it myself.

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and reread it, trying to etch his beautiful words into my memory.

When I’m done, I refold the note and hesitate as I go to tuck it back into the envelope with the rest of his things. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. I slip it into my pocket instead.

I’m keeping this.

Chapter 31

Romeo

Once we come to a stop, and I have her exactly where I want her, I manoeuvre Lucia in front of me, slide my arms protectively around her middle and rub her protruding belly.

“Can I open my eyes now?” she asks as I rest my chin on the top of her head and smile.

This plan has been a long time in the making, and I still can’t believe this is my life now. I want to give my family the best of everything. It’s important to me that my kids have the kind of things I never had when I was growing up. Love, security, and a real home.

I was always happy enough living in the suburbs, because moving around so much as a kid made me yearn for a sense of belonging and some stability.

The house we currently live in isn’t anything special, but it’s mine. A permanent roof over my head. I gutted it and redid the entire interior, making it my own.

That was more than enough when it was just me, but I want more now.I want more for her.I want my wife to have the kind of home she’s used to.

I saw the place she grew up in when she lived in Italybefore it burned down. She’s used to the finer things life has to offer, and I don’t want her to settle for less than she deserves.

I move my chin from the top of her head to rest on her shoulder. Turning my face slightly, I place my lips on her cheek before whispering, “Open your eyes, baby.”

I purchased this large parcel of land over a year ago, and it’s close to where Dante and Arabella live. It’s secluded, private, and somewhere where our kids can run free and enjoy their childhood. I can build them a treehouse when they are old enough, and we can get farm animals like chickens, horses, cows, and sheep.

Killer will love having all this space to run around in.

The modest eight-bedroom house I built for my wife has a wrap-around veranda and is perched on top of the hillside. The estate has a panoramic view of rolling meadows, dense woodlands, and a distant, glimmering lake.

The house itself is a blend of modern luxury and timeless charm, featuring a wood and stone facade that meets the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, allowing natural light to flood the interiors and frame the breathtaking scenery outside.

Fuck, I hope she likes it.