Page 138 of Milo

"I should have looked for her, Kiara. I should've done something.” He takes my left hand and grazes his thumb over my fingers. He looks up at me, his eyes hooded, drowning in pain. "Are you saying yes to my proposal because of Vittoria?"

"No," I breathe, tightening my grip around his hand. "I'm saying yes because I love you, Milo." I tilt my head. "I love you."

Milo swallows. "I do not deserve your love, Kiara. I don't deserve anything."

"Stop that. This wasn't your fault, Milo. What happened to Vittoria wasn't your fault. You thought she was dead. How could you have known?"

Milo slumps against the counter, dragging his hand across his face. "If anything were to ever happen to you, Kiara, I would not be able to live with myself. I love you more than the air I breathe, but you were right, I cannot keep you safe, that is a fact."

"Nothing's going to happen to me. And if it does, then so what?"

Milo's eyes spring open. "So what? What do you mean, so what?"

"People die every day, Milo," I say, lacing my fingers through his. "It's the circle of life. No one gets to live forever."

"And what if the same thing that happened to my grandmother and Vittoria, happens to you, Kiara?" Milo says, his tone rising. "There are far worse fates than death. You must see that by now." He shakes his head, turning away from me. "I do not wish to wield your fate, Kiara."

My heart hammers in my chest. "What are you saying? That you don't want to marry me? You don't want to be with me?" I yank on his arm. "Look at me!"

"I can't."

"Yes, you can!" Frustration blurs my vision. "You think that I don't know the hazards that come with being your wife? You think that I haven't thought about that? I have. I've thought about it a lot. And I'm still saying yes. I'm still here. I want to be here."

"I cannot protect you," he whispers. "I cannot keep you safe."

"Oh my God!" I rake my hands through my hair. I’m going to lose it. "What happened to Vittoria is not your fault. It's not—" I let out a manic chuckle. "She's not even telling the truth, Milo! She's fucking lying to you!"

Milo's head snaps toward me. "What?"

"She's lying," I say, flapping my arms. "Everything she's told you is a fucking lie."

"Why would she lie about something like that? For what reason?"

"Oh, I don't know? Sympathy? A shoulder to cry on?" I motion between our two bodies. "This! Us fighting. I can see it in her eyes, Milo, it's written all over her face. She's not telling you the truth, she's not."

"I understand that you are upset, Kiara, but you are out of line."

"And you're blind. How can you not see it? Don't you think it's convenient that she shows up now? After all this time?"

Milo sighs, pouring himself another drink. "Perhaps it is time for you to leave, Kiara. Save yourself."

"Oh, don't be a fucking martyr, Milo. It's not a good look on you," I sneer, digging my nails into my palm. "I am not leaving."

"Kiara," he breathes in a defeated tone. "Your life would be much easier without me in it."

I expel an incredulous scoff. "Yeah, no shit, Milo! But evidently, I don't want easy, I want complicated and messy and fucking deranged." I pull on his arm, swinging his body around. "I want you." I grab the collar of his shirt. "And you want me, so just fucking kiss me and give me the goddamn ring."

Milo blinks, suppressing a grin. "You are quite frightening when angry."

"Then don't provoke me," I state through my teeth. "Listen, I know you must be in shock right now and I'm probably not handling this the proper way, but I love you, Milo and I'm not going anywhere, so you might as well just get over this whole 'I can't keep you safe' shit so we can move on. Okay?!"

"Okay."

"And just because something bad happened to someone else, doesn't mean it's going to happen to—" I pause. “Wait, did you say okay?"

Milo's expression softens as he lets out a small laugh. "You are crazy, Kiara,"' he says, reaching into his pocket. "And for some reason, it makes me love you even more." He holds out the velvet box, opening it with one hand. "Your ring."

"Thanks.” I yank the diamond and slide it on my finger. "Now, was that so hard?"

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