Page 30 of Her Brutal First Love

"Don't twist my words, Sarica. Youknowwhat I mean. I couldn't even save you, Sarica. I promised to save you. Just like I promised and failed my own father and grandfather—-"

"Why do you keep blaming yourself whenever bad things happen?" Sarica choked out. "Don't we know better by now?Shouldn'twe know better? It's not your job to save everyone—-"

"I just wanted to save you," he said bitterly, "and I couldn't even do it—-"

"Because you weren't meant to save me," Sarica cried out, "and I wasn't meant to save myself!" Frustration colored her words. "You know the truth, Giancarlo. You were the one who helped me see this, remember?"

All Giancarlo did was stare at her, and Sarica could feel her heart start to break when she realized she wasn't reaching him at all.

"You're not God, Giancarlo," Sarica whispered. "So stop trying to do the impossible. Stop trying to c-carry everyone's b-burdens on your shoulders. All you're supposed to do is l-love me.Love me,Giancarlo. Just l-love me—-"

But the man in front of her seemed to be made of unyielding stone, unable to hear a single word she was saying.

"Please, Giancarlo."

"I'm sorry."

Her heart shattered anew at the finality of his voice, and she couldn't stop herself from stumbling forward as she clutched his shirt to keep him from leaving. "P-Please—-"

But her words continued to fall on deaf ears as Giancarlo pulled away from her hold.

"I can't bear having another death on my conscience, Sarica. I'm sorry."

The last thing Giancarlo saw was Sarica falling to her knees as he forced himself to walk away.

He tried to convince himself that this was the last time he would have anything to do with his old life...only to find himself face to face with his grandmother, whose expression made clear she had heard every word.

"Oh,bambino." Potenziana's voice shook. "Are you going to walk away from us, too? Do you really think we will only want you back if you are capable of protecting us? We love you, Giancarlo. That is why we want you back. And we all m-missed you s-so much."

It was his first time hearing his grandmother's voice crack, and Giancarlo could not have stopped himself from pulling her into his arms no more than he could stop himself from breathing.

"You are one of us,bambino," she whispered against his chest. "Always are, always will be."

Chapter Thirteen

Night had fallen over Kivr, painting the desert kingdom in shades of indigo and silver. From the penthouse windows, the city's lights mimicked the sea of stars above, but the emptiness in his heart made him blind to its splendor.

Potenziana joined her eldest grandson in the balcony, but her gaze was lost in memories of the past. "Just you and I again,bambino. There was a time it was like this before, do you remember?"

Giancarlo nodded, the silver streak in his hair catching the lamplight as he moved. How could he forget? Those were the bloodiest years in both their lives, a time when survival was all that mattered, regardless of the cost to their souls.

“Fear made us do terrible things then,” Potenziana reminisced, a sad smile touching her lips. “And I thought it wouldn’t come to that again, when we all made that promise.” She paused, her words deliberate and heavy. “But here we are again. Your hands may no longer bear the blood of others. But they remain tainted. By Sarica’s tears.”

Giancarlo’s fists clenched at his sides. Sarica had taken the first flight out of Kivr that morning, and he had chosen not to see her off. For both of their sakes.

“She deserves someone better,” he said, his jaw tightening. “And that someone is already in her life.”

“Are you talking about Dauphin Tueur?”

His gaze narrowed. “You know about him as well?”

“What a foolish question to ask,” his grandmother admonished, her lip curling.

"If you know of him but he's still alive, then I don't foresee any problem. Sarica is apparently in good hands—-"

"But not the best."

"You know I have no choice—-"

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