Page 135 of Milo

He glides his thumb across my wet cheek. "Please tell me those are happy tears, tesoro."

"How did you do that?" I ask, glancing back to the front of the room. "She looked so real, she sounded so real. What she said I— It was her."

"I had some of my men visit your home in Hawthorne, they collected old VHS footage of your grandmother and a few cards she's written to you over the years," he explains, cupping my face. "I wanted to give you something authentic."

That was authentic all right.

"You broke into my house?" I ask, hiccupping. "That's very illegal."

"Are you upset with me?" Milo asks, a small frown marring his brows.

"No,” I fan myself as a wide smile spreads on my face. "I'm not upset. This was—" I shake my head. "This was the best gift I've ever received. I can't believe you did this."

"Your grandmother meant a lot to you.” He caresses my hand, his honest gaze flickering around my face. "And you mean a lot to me. Kiara—" He sinks down on one knee and produces a velvet box from his pocket. My heart hammers in my chest as he opens the baby blue box, a teardrop diamond ring glistening in the center. "From the moment I saw you, I knew I would fall in love with you. You are a remarkable woman, Kiara, and I want to spend the rest of my life by your side. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"I think I knew too.” I kneel down in front of him, resolution coursing through my veins like liquid gold. "Milo—" Caressing his cheek, I scan his beautifully vulnerable face. I'm not scared anymore. I'm not frightened. This is right. This is fate. "Milo, I lo?—"

"Emilio!" The door swings open and Gio barges inside, his eyes wide with shock. "You need to come with me right now!"

Milo's jaw clenches as he shoots daggers at Gio. "We are in the middle of something, can you not see? Fucking idiot!"

"Milo, now," Gio says unapologetically.

Milo's posture harden as we stand up. "What is happening? Tell me."

"Come," Gio says, his body language tense as Milo grabs my hand and we follow him down the hallway.

"This better be important," Milo grunts. "Fucking unbelievable."

"Yeah—" I pause, frowning as Gio opens the front door for us. "Where are we going?"

He doesn't reply.

A sick feeling creeps into the pit of my stomach as we walk down to the front of the estate. What is going on?! The nausea intensifies as I scan all the family members huddled around the brass gates. Julia looks at me, her expression more distraught than Gio's.

"What is happening?" Milo asks as we approach the hordes of white faces.

"Milo," Julia whispers, casting me a sympathetic look as everyone clears the way for us. Once the path is empty, all the color washes out of Milo's face and he drops my hand, staggering backward. "Milo, breathe, please."

I whip my head around, following his sightline. On the dampened ground, wrapped in a tattered fur jacket is a red-headed woman. She snaps her head up, her hazel eyes locked on Milo.

"No," Milo breathes, covering his mouth. "This cannot be."

"Who is sh?—"

The redheaded woman scrambles toward Milo, her painted lips teetering between a frown and a smile. She throws herself into his arms.

Oh God, is that?—

"Amore mio!"

My love? Oh, no.

No. No. No. No. No.

This isn't happening. How is this happening?

Milo's hands hover above her back for ten agonizing seconds until he slowly, so fucking slowly lowers them. No. Please no. As he tightens his arms around her waist, it's like he's choking me, killing me, drowning me.

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