Page 182 of SINS & Riley
Then I remember the box of black contact lenses.
Right.
I fiddle with the hem of my dress and break the long, awkward silence. “Your eyes are beautiful. You’re not wearing your contacts.”
He shakes his head. Is it weird he's not speaking?
I take a breath and ask another question. “Why do you still have the mask on?”
He doesn’t answer. Doesn’t even try. Instead, he grabs a pen, scratches across a pad of paper, and holds it up.
Oh, shit.
Did something happen to his voice?
What if he can never speak again?
Fine. Then I’ll stay. I’ll learn whatever I have to—sign language, hand signals, interpretive dance, Morse code…
Wait, isn’t sign language for deaf people? Whatever. We’ll figure it out.
He scribbles again, the pen racing across the page, and then tilts it toward me.
There's something I have to tell you.
Dread unfurls in my belly.
“It’s all right,” I whisper. “Whatever it is, I promise everything’s going to be fine. We’ll get through it together.”
He nods, slowly. But his brows knot tight. He’s nervous.
He bends over the pad again, scratching fast.
My knee bounces. Anxiety gnaws at me as I nibble my lip.
This man’s penmanship is pure serial killer. And reading it upside down? Forget it.
Finally, he flips it toward me.
I’m not who you think I am.
The air punches out of my lungs.
True, I don’t exactly know who he is. I don’t even know his last name. And there’s zero shot of me picking him out of a lineup.
But in my heart? I know him.
And isn’t that what matters?
I take his hand, gripping tight. “You’re the man who pulled me out of that stupid auction. You saved me. And Mila. And so many more. And even when I kept trying to run, you protected me.”
He shrugs, like—fair enough.
“You’re also the father of my child. And okay, maybe I don’t know why you spent two months keeping me close without saying a word, but that’s something I’ll discover as I discover you.”
He gives a small shake of his head, like why would you do that?
My voice cracks, but I force it through. “Because… I love you, Zver.”
