Page 85 of Sinner's Salvation

“Let me get changed. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and force the anger back inside. I didn’t have the week I had, only to come home and find my wife missing. I pace the kitchen, itching to go outside and kill someone. What the fuck happened here and who the hell is responsible?

“Violet’s at her parents,” Marie says as she enters the room.

I should feel relieved. Instead, I grit my teeth. “And none of you thought to inform me?”

“You have enough on your plate already. Besides, something happened.”

“What the fuck happened?”

“Stop cursing.”

“I’m not in the mood.”

“Violet said she’s going to stay with her parents for a few days. She came back from Alessandra’s house completely shaken up... she didn’t say why.”

Fuck patience. I storm out of the house and pummel on Alessandra and Hayden’s door. The housekeeper lets me in. I pass her in a hurry and take the stairs to their bedroom, knuckles rapping at the door. Alessandra must have been exhausted if she hadn’t heard that.

Letting myself in, I call her name. “Alessandra.”

Nothing. I shake her awake and she scrambles up.

“Cam, what happened?”

“I came home to find my wife gone.”

She pulls herself up in a sitting position, rubbing at her eyes. “Violet’s okay. The short story is that I got an emergency call and left Leia with Violet. Aurora and Chiara came over with the kids. Celia climbed up to the second floor and jumped off the railing. If it hadn’t been for Violet... I don’t know...”

I drop to the edge of the bed, every muscle in me liquefying.

“Aurora and Chiara froze. Violet caught her. She saved her.” Alessandra’s body convulses with her cries. “Celia could have died.”

I pull her to my side. “Shh.”

“I saved a patient that day while my niece could have died.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because nothing happened.”

“I can’t believe Violet did that.”

“She’s incredible, Cam. She reacted so fast. For a woman who has spent years living in fear...”

“Why did she leave?”

“I think she’s lonely in the house.”

“Lonely?”

“What the hell have you been doing with her if you don’t even know a little about her?” Her accusatory tone ends on a high note. “Ah, typical Cam, wanting to know everything but not giving anything away.”

“Alessandra.”

“She’s one hell of a woman, and you’re plain stupid if you let your own fears sabotage your relationship.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

---