Page 72 of Till Death Do Us Part

“I’m not your wife, Jack.”

“You will be.” His face was set. “Is it a secret why you dropped out?”

I sighed and gazed out the window again. He wasn’t going to let it go. “I really didn’t want to do it to begin with. Mamma and my sisters thought it would be fun. I didn’t think I’d make it, but I did. It didn’t seem fair that my heart wasn’t in it, and I won.”

“That’s right. You love digging in mud and finding bones. The total opposite of beauty pageants and girly stuff.”

I said nothing else because it was a waste of my time. If he couldn’t make the distinction between what I did and playing in the mud and finding bones, he might as well see me as a dog.

We were silent for the rest of the drive. Even as Jack walked me to Elsa’s door, we both seemed lost to our own thoughts. But I was wishing he would have waited for me in the car.

It didn’t matter anyway. She wasn’t home.

On the ride back to Babbo’s, I sent her a text checking on her. She texted back that she was able to make it home and hoped I was having a nice time with my family.

Me:How do you feel about a roommate when you get back? Me.

It took her a few minutes to answer.

Elsa:Please don’t take it personal, but I’m in limbo right now. I’m not even sure if I’m going to be staying.

I didn’t take it to heart. I understood Elsa had her own issues, and she didn’t need mine darkening hers. My family would be a non-stop problem. It would be a complication she didn’t need in her life.

Still, I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped my lips, fogging up the window and distorting my view of the world.

Chapter26

Roma

It had been two months since I’d heard from Felice. He’d cut off all contact, and it staggered me.

Every day I felt like I was making my way through an ice-packed haze. Life moved around me, but I felt frozen in time. I was clinging to the night in the hospital room, constantly wondering what had changed between us. Wondering why he hadn’t even bothered to check on me, or even tell me what the fuck was going on.

I’m always with you.

The words felt like a lie, and I was owed more than that.

Elsa was my only connection to Felice’s life through Cassio, so I asked her to speak to him, since I knew they were in touch about Adelasia.

Cassio agreed to talk to me in January, but it was February, and still no Cassio.

Hayden came out of the office and asked me how everyone was loving the special exhibit for Valentine’s Day. It was all about the mating rituals of dinosaurs.

“A hit,” I said, looking over the roses on my desk. Jack had sent me a huge bouquet of them that took up most of my desk. They were all in shades of red.

Jack. Even the thought of his name made me sigh in tiredness. I expected him every day because he’d been showing up ever since Christmas. The ride we took seemed to give him an unnatural amount of momentum. He’d meet me for lunch (surprise!) or come over to the house for dinner.

I’d shut Isabella down—we hadn’t spoken since our fight—but Jack smoothly moved into her place.

Everyone was happy in the Corvo household but me.

Hayden brought up Lo’s wedding in May. It was being held in Italy. She’d invited him, Elsa, and Kerry. Hayden couldn’t attend, but he was pulling replacements from the staff to take our places while we were all gone.

“I’ll be gone for her bachelorette party too,” I said.

“That’s right. Elsa mentioned it. Martha’s Vineyard?”

Lo didn’t want to go clubbing or anything like that. She just wanted a long weekend with the girls out of town. Our parents had a summer house there. She loved it and had put me in charge of the plans.

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