Page 28 of Did My Heart Love Till Now?

He nodded once. “I don’t like it, but yes.” He glanced over my shoulder then covered his mouth in what I can only assume was an attempt to avoid lip-readers. “I don’t know how long I can keep them off your trail.”

“Any amount of time helps.” I slapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you for pulling my car around. I'll be back later.” I took a few steps forward then glanced back at him. “I hope!”

He smirked. “You're famous now, G.”

Snorting, I remote started my car as I marched over to it. “I can do this.” Taking a deep breath, I put the car in drive and inched forward to the gate. As I sat and waited for it to fully open, I scanned the crowd once again before I pulled out of the driveway and slowly navigated through the multitude of people.

“What the fuck is wrong with these people?” I murmured to myself in disbelief. How the fuck did they even get cardboard cutouts of me?

They were shouting at my car as if I were a celebrity. Paparazzi held their cameras up at the windows, snapping photos. Reporters spoke in front of cameras as they pointed at me.

After I arrived at the beach house, I waited for Sofia by the ocean. Suddenly, I felt a hand slide into mine and a head leaning on my arm. I snaked my arm around her, pulling her into my side. Though it was quite a gamble to sneak up on me, the sound of the water folding in on the sand allowed her to do so.

“I made it.” She circled my back with her thumb and brought her other hand to my chest, rubbing it back and forth.

Chuckling, I twisted to her, placing a small kiss on her lips. The fragrance of her perfume charmed me, beckoning my heart and soul to fully surrender itself to her. My eyes caught her neck. Blinking rapidly, I pulled away. A massive bruise emerged just over the collar of her shirt. “Oh shit.” I bit my lip then swept her hair out of the way with my fingertips, getting a closer look.

“It’s okay.” She snickered.

“Don't let daddy see those.”

“I covered them before, but I doubt he would even pay enough attention to see anything.”

“Don't be fooled.” I shook my head. “I hate to admit this, but I know your father is a very smart man.”

She tilted her head, smiling as she squinted in the morning sun. “Did you just pay my father a compliment?”

I rolled my eyes. “It just makes my job harder, that's all.” Taking her hand in mine, I laced my fingers with hers and led her toward the house.

She took a deep breath, trying to hide her happiness. “I have something for you.”

“Oh yeah?” I stopped and pulled her down onto the sand amongst a clearing of knee-high beach grass.

She held up my rosary, letting it swing in the air. Bright-eyed, she waited for me to respond with a wide grin. She appeared proud of herself for returning something so special to me and though I appreciated the thought, it was the worst thing she could have done.

I held the cross in my palm. The broken chain dangled from my fingers. I exhaled deeply and fidgeted with the broken section. With a few twists and a squeeze, I was able to fix it. I brought my gaze back to hers. “It’s yours now, baby.” I held it out. “I want you to have it.” Though I did want her to have it, I also knew if she did not return with it, her father would ruin her life.

“Are you sure?”

Feigning a smile, I nodded. She matched my expression, bowing ever so slightly. Slipping it over her head, I positioned it around her neck, and she gripped it in her hand.

“Sofia.” I sighed. Her smile turned serious at the tone of my voice.

Standing, I pulled her off the ground and tugged her against me. I furrowed my brow as I cupped her face in my palms. I searched her eyes for any sign of a future between us. All I saw was death and destruction among our families.

Now, not only did I have to run my family and worry about my father, but my choice to associate with her had cost me. I wanted to protect her as well. Unfortunately, that meant ending whatever was going on between us, immediately.

“Oh no.” She began to tear up. “You're walking away, aren't you?”

Realizing she could read my gaze, I dropped my hands and intertwined my fingers with hers. “Sofia.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I'm so sorry.” A sadness swelled inside me as I watched a tear blink from her eye and roll down her cheek. “I swear I will fix this somehow.”

Three weeks had passed, and I had no contact with Sofia, but I missed her like crazy. However, seeing her would be the death of one of us; probably me. I still made a promise to protect her and fix this, but it was proving to be impossible. I had to still try.

As it grew closer to my father's trial, the media remained outside my house and the girls grew in numbers. I could not leave the grounds of the estate to go visit my dad without hearing them calling after me. Some even flashed me. Did these girls not have lives? I was not a celebrity. I was unsure why they fought to capture my attention. It made no sense to me.

This morning, I woke up on my own at 7:30 a.m. and trudged downstairs to get coffee. I heard several female voices as I rounded the corner of the long hallway. I wondered if it was the news until I heard giggles.

Watching the news had become a routine for me these days. I never cared much about it before my father was arrested. Now I understood why there were televisions all over our home. My father needed to find things out before he was blindsided. It was survival mode.

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