Page 75 of Goldflame

He grins, revealing a missing front tooth that wasn’t gone when I last saw him. “You remember me!”

“Of course,” I say, surprised by the warmth spreading through me. “How could I forget?”

Roby beams, then turns to Lorenzo with rapid-fire Italian too quick for me to follow. Lorenzo laughs, ruffling the boy’s dark hair with obvious affection.

Lorenzo turns to me. “He says you’re beautiful. Like an angel.”

The simplicity of the child’s joy soothes some of my raw nerves. For a moment, I can almost forget the nightmare of the past weeks; I can almost believe in this strange new reality where Adrian lives and I have family and there might be a path forward from all this darkness.

But Adrian—Dante—rises from his chair, exchanging a meaningful look with Lorenzo.

“Perhaps you could take Roby to lunch?” he says. “Aurelia and I have much to discuss.”

Lorenzo nods, understanding passing between them. He stands and takes Roby’s hand. “Come, piccolo. Let’s leave these two to talk.”

“But I want to stay with ciumachella!” Roby protests, his lower lip jutting out in a pout.

“You’ll see her at dinner,” Lorenzo promises. “She’s not going anywhere.”

Not going anywhere.The words wrap around my heart as Lorenzo and Roby leave, the door closing behind them with a soft click that seems to seal me in this new reality.

I get to stay with my family.

With Adrian too?

Do I want that?

I turn to him, feeling the room shrink now that it’s just the two of us.

The silence stretches with unspoken words. Years of history coil around us like a living thing—memories of when he was my boyfriend, when he was out with other women, when I grew tired of being just a trophy and decided to break up with him.

“You’re wearing it,” he says finally, eyes dropping to my neck where his necklace rests beneath my dress neckline.

My hand flies to my throat, feeling the outline of the emeralds that are tucked below the fabric. “How did you?—”

“I saw you find it,” he admits. “In my room. Throughthe security feed. I still have the password to access the Harrow network. It’s proven quite useful.”

Heat floods my cheeks at the thought of him watching me this entire time—my rage and insanity. How I snooped through his stuff. “You were spying on me? Wait—” I remember when the bedroom door mysteriously opened. “Are you the one who opened my door that one day?”

He shakes his head. “I believe that was my mother. More of her mind games.”

Goddamn bitch.

“Sorry for the spying,” he continues. “But I needed to know you were safe.” His voice drops. “As safe as you could be in that hell hole.”

He moves toward me then, each step deliberate, until he stands close enough that I have to tilt my head to meet his gaze. His scent hits me: leather with a hint of vanilla. The same scent that clung to his pillows and gave me comfort through all the sleepless nights.

His fingers brush along my collarbone, finding the chain and drawing it out from beneath my dress. The emeralds catch the light, glittering.

“I’m happy you finally got my gift. I always regretted not giving it to you sooner.” His eyes lift to mine, filled with a tenderness that steals my breath. “We have so much to talk about, Aurelia.”

Suddenly it’s all too much—the betrayals, the violence, the grief, the shock of having family and of seeing the man I thought was dead. I collapse against him, more sobs needing to get out; my body shaking with the force of every jumbled emotion.

His arms encircle me, strong and steady, pulling me against the solid warmth of his chest. This also feels too different. Adrian rarely held me like this.

“I’m here,” he whispers into my hair. “I’m here now.”

I don’t know how, but he’s transformed into a different man in death and resurrection—more open, more available. The walls he always maintained have crumbled, revealing the man who might have existed beneath them all along.

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