Page 51 of Another Life

But when I turn to face an empty room, I shake my head, knowing it’s for the best. I’d likely fuck it all up one day anyway.

I don’t deserve her. But I still fucking want her, still picture her in my life in a space I hadn’t even held for my ex-wife.

Someone needs to save her. From ruin…from me.

And it’ll have to be me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

LET ME GO

PRESENT

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I’m on my feet, my chest rising and falling in my righteous anger. “Why?!”

He isn’t looking at me. The one time I want him to, and he isn’t. Instead, his hands are gripping the chains of the swings and his head is bowed.

I grab his face, cupping it in my hands, forcing his eyes to meet mine.

“You could have told me,” I whisper, my eyes filling. I stare at him as his face distorts in my grip.You could have told me and we wouldn’t have lost any of this time.

“Ah,Stellina,” he starts, standing and pulling me into his arms. But I back away, shaking my head. I don’t want comfort. I want answers.

“I told you…I fucking told you that if someone found out…but you didn’t care. You were careless with me and now look at us.” I wipe away my tears and take another step back. “I can’t fucking do this.”

When I turn away, rushing toward the street, I hear him calling my name behind me. I’m not paying attention when Ihear the beep of a horn and a car nearly hits me, screeching to a halt.

My heart pounds as I rush the rest of the way across the street, ignoring the person in the car yelling at me.

“Stop!Basta!” Abraham cries out behind me, and I try to bolt to my car, but he catches up, grabbing me by my arm. “What the fuck are you thinking?!”

His face is full of fury as he stares at me, running his hands over my shoulders, up to my face, holding me in place.

“Let me go.”

“You know I can’t,cuore mio,” he whispers, his voice shaky, and I try to shove him, but he doesn’t budge.

“Let me go!” I try to twist away, more tears running down my face.

“You know you don’t want me to.” He stares at me a moment, his chin tilting as my gaze flits from his eyes to his lips and back again.

It’s a collision, our first kiss in so many years.

It’s hunger, a war waging.

It’s familiarity, kissing the first man I ever loved. The first man to ever break me. I can taste my tears on his lips.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispers against my mouth, squeezing me against his body.

His words remind me of lost time, of everything.

But they don’t fix it all; things I can’t yet think about.

Things I swore to never think about ever again.

Turns out I could break the promises I made to myself just as easily as the promises Abraham made to me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

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