Page 66 of Savage Prince

I’m so caught up in the whirlwind of unexpected emotions I barely notice the old woman beside me. She slips a piece of paper in my clenched fist and offers a reassuring smile. I startle at her touch, then whirl around to meet a pair of kind, pale gray eyes.

“Fortunatamente per te, io non ho fatto alcun giuramento del genere.” Lucky for you, I’ve sworn no such thing. A smile starts to threaten. “Auguro tutto il meglio al tuo caro,” she whispers before depositing her envelopes on the counter and turning for the door.

“Grazie!” I shout behind her before I have time to explain to her that he’s not a loved one at all, but it was so kind of her to wish him well.

I stare at the crumpled paper in my hands and the dark scrawling of a phone number and address. Those embers of hope burn brightly once again. Glancing up at the postal worker, I sweep away the tears. “Can I at least use your phone?”

His head bobs up and down. “Si, certo, signorina.”

CHAPTER 33

INEXPLICABLE FEELINGS

Serena

I pace the short length of the boathouse so quickly I just end up making my head spin. Elena has been working on Antonio for the past hour, and I haven’t been able to sit still. His wound was so infected that even unconscious he’d cried out when thedottoressahad removed the thread. The thread that I’d insisted on using.

Dio, I’m an idiot.

This is why Bella is the doctor, not me.

What feels like an eternity later, Elena props her glasses on the top of her head and glances up at me. “I’ve removed all the thread, along with the infected tissue around it. I cannot close the wound now for fear of a secondary infection. All we can do is keep it open and clean and hope it will heal itself from the inside out. It will take longer and the scarring will be worse, but at least he’ll live.”

“This is all my fault…” I murmur.

“No.” Her eyes narrow, lips twisting in disgust. “You did not choose to be dragged into this situation, Serena. The guilt here lies with Antonio, and only Antonio.”

“But if I hadn’t sewn him up?—”

“He would have bled out and died, as he almost did from the wound on his back which was left open. There were no good options. You did the best you could.” She speaks matter of factly, and with no nonsense. She isn’t trying to coddle me or consider my feelings.

I don’t dare bring up the fact that I came all over his fingers last night. The exertion, sweat, and all the rest could not have possibly helped the situation.

Digging into her bag, she places a pile of bandages, disinfectant spray, and a bottle of antibiotics at the end of the sunbed. Then she rises and exhales a long breath. “Now, I suggest you take advantage of his current state and find your way home.”

“And just leave him like this?” Guilt and something else zips through my chest, spearing at my heart at the idea.

“I’ve already given him pain medicine and a dose of the antibiotics. The fever will subside soon enough. Once it does, he’ll wake and be more than capable of caring for himself. I’ve left him everything he needs.” She pauses, sharp eyes fixed to mine, on the oversized sweats I still wear. “Go, Serena, your freedom lies just beyond the door.” Thedottoressasignals toward the old timber, but my feet are rooted to the spot.

“I—I…” What? I can’t even come up with a single logical excuse that would keep me here. Whoever set fire to the villa must be gone by now. “Can I use your phone to contact my father?”

She nods. “Of course.” Drawing it out from the inside of her jacket, she hands it to me. “I’ll wait outside so you can have some privacy.”

“Grazie.” I offer her my best smile as I clutch the phone to my chest. “Elena,” I call out before she slips out. “If you hate Antonio so much, why did you come when I called?”

“I did it for Maria Graziella, in his mother’s memory.” The tight set of her jaw softens. “If she had been here, she would have begged for his life, despite all the terrible things he’s done with it.”

“It wasn’t his fault he turned out this way.” I don’t know why I find myself defending my abductor, but here we are.

“I know.” She nods slowly. “But it’s never too late to change, to start over.”

“And you don’t think Antonio will?”

“I hope with all my heart that he does, but I’ve found that it’s easier to remain on the same familiar path than to forge a new one.” She turns toward the door, and I don’t stop her this time.

I glance over my shoulder at Antonio, sprawled across the lounge chair. A clean, white bandage stretches across his bare chest and curves around to his back. Despite his wound looking better, his expression is pinched, even in sleep. Am I completely insane to even consider staying with him until he wakes?

Blowing out a frustrated breath, I turn my attention to the phone in my palm.Papàis going to lose his shit when he finds out what happened. I hold my breath, waiting for that familiar voice. It rings and rings but no answer. I try two more times before I leave a message.

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