Page 176 of Diamond Kisses

I had their support.

I knew I would be missed.

I just needed Henri to realise he had that gift too.

Q visited him often but didn’t say anything.

Suzette, the housekeeper, seemed particularly distraught and even Franco—the man who looked as mean as any Master on Victor’s island—squeezed Henri’s shoulder and told him to fight.

“You’re not alone anymore,” I’d whispered last night. “You have a family who really, really wants to love you, Hen. So please…open your eyes and live.”

Laughing a little under her breath, Tess grinned. “You know…I thought I had it rough when I first fell in love with a Mercer, but you?” She shrugged. “You win.”

I appreciated her attempt at joviality, but I couldn’t quite muster a laugh. “He’s definitely been…tricky.”

Leaning forward, she clasped her hands. Her fitted jeans and cute pink jumper made her look younger than she was, but her blue eyes spoke of hardship and wisdom, flashing with inner strength. “If you ever need to talk about what happened. About what he did and—”

“I’m fine.” I shook my head. “Truly.”

She nodded. “I won’t overstep but I will give you one piece of advice.”

“Okay…” I glanced at Henri’s face.

Was it my imagination or were his brows knitted. His eyes flickered beneath his closed lids. His black lashes shivering with dreams or…waking up?

Hope—that annoying emotion that’d tortured me so badly in Joyero—sparked.

I clung to his hand, my heart skipping as his fingers flinched in mine.

A waterfall of relief chased away the last of my worries.

I sagged over the bed and grinned. “He’s waking.”

Tess glanced at Henri and smiled. He groaned and rolled his head. “So he is.” Standing, she shoved her hands into her back pockets. “In that case, I’ll leave you to say hello in private.”

“What did you want to say?”

Heading toward the door, she turned back and smiled. “Only that I’m here if you ever want to vent. Loving a Mercer? It’s not easy. They’re stubborn and proud and have a darkness that I doubt will ever go away, but…they’re also loyal to a fault and love with all their hearts.”

I brought Henri’s knuckles to my lips and kissed him.

“Oh, I know.” I had the absolute privilege of saying that.I know. I know him. He’s a part of me. Iknow.It felt as if I’d been let into a private, perfect club. One where no one else got to know the true souls of these brothers. No one else was lucky enough to be loved by them.

“In that case, I’ll see you soon.” She winked. “You know…I’ve always wanted a sister.”

She left.

Henri opened his eyes.

And every day that we’d suffered, struggled, and fought to stay alive by playing Victor’s horrible games, fighting fate, sharing lust and temptation, cheating death and merging our souls into one vanished beneath the only truth that mattered.

We’d survived.

We hadn’t destroyed one another, we’d won.

And this was just our beginning.

“Hello,” I whispered, shifting closer to kiss him.

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