Page 55 of Blood and Penance
She sighs and shuts the door behind her. “I understand why you’re mad at me, Phee. But I trusted him. I didn’t think he would do anything to hurt Giancarlo or me.”
“And that’s the problem! You almost died, Sera! Giancarlo was kidnapped because you trusted him!”
She closes her eyes, then opens them and a tear slips down her cheek.
“I’ve loved him for a long time, Phoenix. The man I thought he was, he isn’t. And I’m sorry Giancarlo got caught in the middle of that. But I didn’t mean any harm. I would never put him in danger, and you know that.”
I know she wouldn’t put Giancarlo or her life in danger on purpose, but she did. Her heart ached, knowing the man she loved isn’t the man she believed him to be, yet the weight of her actions is hard for me to forgive and forget. My son and her life had been put in danger because of her stupid decisions.
“I can’t do this right now, Sera. I’m getting married.”
“Well, can we at least agree to talk about it after you come back from your honeymoon?” she asks. “I want to get things straight between us. You and Giancarlo are all I have left.”
“Are you still seeing, Sergio?”
Her answer will decide whether I’ll try to have this conversation with her when I come back from my honeymoon. If she’s still seeing him, there will be no way we can get past this.
“No.”
The tremor in her voice is a clear sign his actions caused her pain.
“You still love him, don’t you?”
“Does it matter?” she asks. “Whatever we have is over. We can’t come back from this.”
I don’t want to make her feel any worse than she already does. While I’m pissed, she’s my sister and I still love her. She made a mistake. Hopefully, what she’s saying is the truth and her relationship with Sergio is over.
I blow out and breath. “We’ll figure shit out.”
She smiles, and nods. “Do you need any help?” she asks, and I hear the hope in her voice.
“No, but maybe you can walk me out.”
“I can do that. I want you to know how much I love you, Phee. And I’m so happy you and Gianni found your way back to each other.”
I pull her into my arms. “I love you, too and I’m beyond happy you’re here.”
She tightens her arms around me. No matter how much I hate what she’s done, Seraphina is the only family that I have, and I love her. I want what’s best for her. We need to work through our issues but she’s my sister. And will always be in my life.
When she pulls away, she laughs. “We better get you out there before Gianni believes you’ve changed your mind.”
“I could never,” I say, laughing.
“That’s what I told him.”
“Thanks for being here, Phee.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
Epilogue
Gianni
The wedding…
Standing on a jagged cliffside terrace, carved into the volcanic cliffs of Santorini as I wait for Phoenix, I’m in awe I’m experiencing the life I’ve always dreamed of. I have the woman of my dreams and a son who’s my entire world.
It doesn’t get better than this.
