Page 56 of Heartless Union

His eyes soften as he squeezes my hands back. “I feel fine.”

“For the moment.”

“Yes, for the moment. But I was told I have a few more months. I will stay alive until you come back.”

The tears hit me. “But I want to stay here with you now. I was supposed to be safe with Rocco, but everything has gone to chaos. Now, I have to leave for who knows who long. I can’t do it, Dad.”

“My Lara, come here.” He pulls me into a hug. “It will be ok. I will make sure you’re ok.”

A loud pounding on the door makes me jerk up. We share a glance.

“Stay here,” he says, getting up slowly. I can see the pain on his face as he does it.

“Dad.”

“Lara, stay there.” He goes to the door and looks through the peephole. His shoulders relax slightly. When he opens the door, I see Rocco on the other side.

He brushes past my dad and walks straight for me. “You weren’t supposed to leave.”

“My dad is not in on it, Rocco. He didn’t know anything about Carlo. You can trust him.”

He turns to my dad. “Is this true?”

“It is. Please, you can’t keep Lara away from me. It hurts her too much. Can’t you see that?”

“This is between my wife and me.”

My dad stands up straighter. “Will all due respect, Rocco, that’s my daughter you’re talking about. What affects her affects me.”

“Come on, Lara,” Rocco says, not even looking at my dad. “We need to go now.”

I stand up. “No. I want my dad to come with us. He could get hurt.”

“He’ll be fine. Carlo wants to come after me. Your dad will be safe.”

“I want him to come,” I say, staying firm.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Rocco stares me down for a moment before huffing. “Why? Why is it so important for your dad to come with us? Fathers are not all cracked up like people believe. They’re screw ups. Murderers.”

“My father is a good man. He’s nothing like your father.”

“It’s ok,” Dad says, placing a hand on my arm. “I just want you safe, Lara. Go with Rocco. I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t be.”

“I’ll be fine.” He kisses my head. “Now, go with Rocco.”

“Come on, Lara,” Rocco says, grabbing my arm.

I wrench away from him. “My father has cancer.”

Both men freeze. My dad eventually looks away, shame creeping onto his face. Rocco only stares at me with an unreadable expression.

Then he speaks. “He has cancer?”

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