Page 22 of Ruined in Vows

blue eyes begged me to believe her.

Currently, I am even more confused. And I am not saying that what Allegra told me is

the truth – how can she have, when my life is apparently right in front of me – but I have more questions than I have answers right now.

And one way or another I need to know.

My head is a mess, but if what she said is in fact true, then there must be a reason as

to why Vincenzo and Caterina are lying to me. I can’t think of any kind of motivation for making me believe a lie like this. It doesn't make sense for someone to go to these lengths to make me believe I am someone else. A headache begins to form behind my eyes, and I shake my head as the questions spin on a loop.

Everything is subjective right now and maybe I am barking up the wrong tree. But the look in her eyes...

My gaze flicks to my wife. She watches me cautiously, as if I am a bomb about to

explode. Neither Caterina nor Vincenzo can find out about my meeting with Allegra.

Which means I need to keep things to myself until I know more.

Find out the truth.

And I will get it.

No matter what the outcome is.

Since the moment I woke up in my bedroom, surrounded by hospital equipment,

things have always felt not quite right. I thought it was my head injury and trying to adjust to my new normal.

Now I’m not so sure.

They say the truth will set you free.

And it’s time to break out of this gilded cage.

For better or worse. I need to know who is lying to me.

Chapter 15

Allegra

Chewing my lip harshly, I pace the floor of my hotel suite, burning a hole in the plush carpet. Anxiety crawls under my skin, buzzing in my veins and setting me on edge. I am so overwhelmed, the stress of this whole situation blurring my thoughts until I can’t think straight.

Dante is alive, which is the most miraculous thing that could happen. But there is one small problem we still have to overcome. He doesn’t know who he is.

Overpowering joy followed by soul crushing devastation hits me. What will it take to make him see that I am telling the truth? What could have possibly happened to him to make him forget everything. Forget us. Forget his family. The thought alone has my chest tightening with pain. Though I have my own questions, right now this is about Dante. I want him to make the right decision and come to our hotel so that we can get through to him.

But what if you never get through to him,an irritating voice whispers across my mind making my mood plummet further. I need to do some research, speak to his doctor. Look into memory loss and try to find out what it is I am dealing with. But until I see Dante again, I can’t do any of that.

“You are going to burn a hole in the carpet, sweetheart. Come take a seat.” Mamma’s voice breaks me from my panic induced haze.

Glancing over at her, I find her patting the empty space next to her, a look of concern on her face as she watches me. My gaze shifts to Athena, a similar look clouds her features, and, in that moment, I know I need to relax before they have me committed.

Sighing, I move toward the couch, dropping in between them. My throat tightens as I try to voice my thoughts, but I push through the lump, whispering out some of my fears. “What if he doesn’t come here? What if he is too far gone to ever remember me?”

Mamma wraps her arms around me, pulling me in close as she kisses the top of my head. “He will honey. Don’t ever doubt the power of two souls connected. And you and Dante are connected in the most irrevocable way. Deep down, he knows the truth of who he is, of who you are. He will come. I just know it.”

I glance up at her with blurry, hopeful eyes. A part of me knows that what Mamma is saying is to placate me, but there is another part that wants to believe her when she speaks about souls. I can only hope it’s true, because I know without a doubt in my mind, that my soul would find Dante in every lifetime. Resentment that he doesn’t remember me causes a bitter taste in my mouth. It’s quickly followed by guilt and shame. I need to remember that I haven’t been through what Dante has. I haven’t had my memories erased or forgotten everything I once knew. I just hope that somewhere deep inside of Dante, no matter how deep that connection is buried, he finds it again.

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