Page 101 of Tainted Ties

Regret and guilt clawed at my throat.

Pressing a hand to my mouth, I bawled, the hurt of today’s events consuming me.

Chapter35

Roman

“Roman, if you don’t release that girl… so help me, God.”

“For fuck’s sake, she’s only been down there for ten minutes.” Yet it was an agonizing eternity.

I released a steadying breath, raking a hand through my disheveled hair.

“It could have been for five seconds,” Gianna scolded. “Go get her.Proprio adesso.”

Pacing around the kitchen island, I glared at her. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Icanand Iwill. Don’t disrespect me by forgetting who I am. Once upon a time, I changed your diapers.”

My tone was venomous when I spoke my next words. “Shebetrayedme.Liedto me.”

Saying the words aloud splintered my heart further, something I didn’t think it could do after what had happened.

Gianna stared at me with her warm brown eyes, her face scrunched up in pity.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“You didn’t even ask her why she did it.”

How could I have asked her when I couldn’t even stand to look at her? Let alone be in her presence.

“You might not be a saint, Roman, but you are just.”

Resting my hands against the cold countertop, I bowed my head. “I’mdrowning.”

It wasn’t that I was oblivious to Aurora’s pain. It was that my own had overpowered all else.

Locking her in the basement was to give her an ounce of what I was feeling, but all it did was leave me with a slab of regret in the center of my empty chest.

When Gianna’s frail hand rubbed my back in soothing motions, I jerked to meet her gaze. “Love isn’t easy. It never has been and never will be.Youdecide whether it’s worth it or not.”

That was the problem.

Loving Aurorawasworth it. No matter how battered and bruised my heart was, she was worth every tear and scar.

But it didn’t make it hurt any less.

I gave her a slight nod before brushing past her.

If Aurora wanted to hurt me, then she had succeeded. She held that power in the palms of her hands.

It was deathly quiet as I descended the stairs. It unnerved me.

Switching on the bulb above, I stared down at Aurora’s fetal form. The small amount of light cast on her tear-stained face.

Hiking up my pants by the knees, I lowered down to my haunches.

Her eyes were closed, but by the way her breathing escalated, I knew she was awake.

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