Page 59 of Lily

Roselia was a ball of nerves as she entered Jagger’s house with the other women that afternoon. She hadn’t seen Stefano since she’d walked away from him in the hallway. Other than Damon coming in for a few minutes to comfort Gemma, no one else had emerged.

Grace’s boyfriend, Khai, and Summer’s two men, Bridger and Colter, had picked all of them up from the FBI offices and were with them at the house now. In fact, the three men were preparing dinner for all the women.

Roselia had learned a lot from the other women. They’d all ended up with the most amazing men on earth. Men who adored them and did everything they could to help them heal from their invisible wounds. Men who cooked and cleaned and worshipped the ground they walked on.

Men like Stefano.

She missed him terribly. They hadn’t been separated for longer than it took to pee in nine days. She’d grown used to his presence. Most of the time, he hadn’t even been far enough away from her that he wasn’t touching her.

She watched as Khai took Grace in his arms and kissed her. When she shifted her attention to Summer, she saw the woman giggle as Bridger kissed her before passing her off to Colter.

Roselia wanted to feel the happiness each of them felt. She ached to join their “club.” But until she heard from Stefano, she could feel nothing but fear. She wasn’t even in her body. She was outside, watching all of this unfold.

“Have a seat if you’d like,” Khai told her as she stood awkwardly watching everyone help themselves to drinks.

Kally giggled. “It’s always crowded in here. We rarely manage to use the table for anything. It’s more like a command center. We often eat in the living room or around the island. Would you like a soda, juice, water, milk, or tea?”

“Water would be great. Thank you.” Roselia climbed onto one of the bar stools at the island and rubbed her arms.

Colter glanced at Roselia. “I’ll get your bags from the car and put them up in the guest room.”

She held her breath. It was the only way to keep from crying. She didn’t want her bags in the guest room at Jagger and Kally’s house. She wanted to be back in the cabin with Stefano. She refused to think about the fact that Colter had driven Stefano’s SUV here and that she might very well have to go to bed alone tonight in a strange house.

Where are you? I need you.

Everyone tiptoed around her all evening, offering her food, drinks, and any other comfort she might crave. She hadn’t been able to eat much and was growing more stressed by the hour.

None of the other men had returned either. Was that a good sign?

Gemma, Kally, and Nora seemed slightly nervous, but they, too, probably preferred not to be separated for so long from their men.

After dinner, she sat in the living room with the other women while the men cleaned up. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rocked, trying not to panic.

No one tried to reassure her that Stefano would be home soon. They all knew that might not be the case.

“Should we turn on the TV?” Summer asked loud enough for the men to hear.

Colter turned toward her and shook his head. “No, honey. Let’s leave it.”

They all knew there was a chance Santo could have been arrested at some point during the day, but it seemed best not to get sucked into the news.

Gemma sat up straighter and pasted on a smile. “We all know each other better than Roselia. Let’s share some more about ourselves.”

They’d talked for hours that afternoon under the guidance of Carol. She’d been amazing at guiding the conversation, and Roselia could easily see why they all liked her so much. Roselia had promised to call and set up an appointment with her soon.

A beeping noise made all of them turn toward the kitchen, where Khai headed over to check the gate monitor. “It’s Ella.” He pushed a button, presumably to let whoever Ella was through the gate.

“Ella is Robert’s wife,” Gemma informed her.

Roselia lifted a brow. “Robert… Oh, the man whose name is on the chips?” She gripped her thighs together and squeezed them. She hated that fucking tattoo.

Nora was sitting next to her. “You can have the chip and the tattoo removed if you want. We’ve all done it.”

Roselia’s breath hitched. “Seriously?”

“Yes. An amazing female doctor with the FBI removed all of ours. It was such a relief. I slept better that night,” Nora continued.

“I’d like that.” I’d like to talk to Stefano. I’d like to tell him about the tattoo removal. I’d like him to go with me and hold my hand.

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