Page 105 of Tainted Ties

Gianna had left breakfast or maybe dinner on my bedside table when the door opened again.

I didn’t turn to look at who entered the room because more likely than not, it was always Roman.

“One more day, Roman. Please just…” I sighed, burying my face into the pillow.

“I don’t know which is worse, the smell in this room or you assuming I’m that ogre you call your husband.”

The voice rendered me immobile. It belonged to someone who I thought I wouldn’t hear or see again.

Impossible.

Somehow, I mustered enough energy and courage to turn.

A dam broke inside of me, bringing me to my feet as I lunged forward.

“Enzo,”I bawled, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his waist. I clung to him as if he would slip away at any moment.

Had I truly gone off the deep end and started hallucinating my dead brother?

He held me close, falling to his knees as he caressed my back. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here now,sorella mia.”

I cried even harder, burying my head into his shoulder, my body shaking from the force of my sobs.

“Is it really you?” I shrieked, my tears hot on my skin.

“I’m so sorry for leaving you,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry about your baby.”

I choked, the pain in his voice cloaking me. It was raw and intense.

When I opened my eyes, Roman was standing by the doorway, leaning against the wall with his hands deep in his pockets.

My gaze locked on his and the crease between his brows smoothed out for the first time in days.

He gave me a small smile, a mixture of pain and relief crossing his features.

I hiccuped, fresh tears blooming. I was overwhelmed.

“Aurora,” my brother coaxed, leaning back.

I stared at his face, trying to memorize every inch in case he really was a figment of my imagination.

He was different yet the same.

He had the same long hair, thick beard, and chiseled features. But there was a cold glint in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

It made my heart squeeze in worry not knowing what happened to him. My lip trembled. “I thought you were dead.”

He removed me from himself and stood. I followed suit, Roman coming to stand beside me.

“I need to talk to you both.” He eyed me and my husband.

Roman’s hand gripped my hip, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

When the two most important men in my life left my bedroom, I made quick work to bathe and clothe myself.

Nothing could take away my suffering, but my brother had come close to it.

Seeing him had mended a piece of my heart, giving me the push I needed to finally get up and leave my room.

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