Page 240 of Stalking Ginevra

Swaying, she splays out one arm and reaches for me with the other. A flush spreads across beautiful features that I want to see every day for the rest of my life. Even though her eyes blaze with fury, she doesn’t shrink or bolt. Instead, she gazes up at me, breathing hard.

“Attention, everyone,” I call out, still holding her gaze.

Silence sweeps across the casino like a held breath. Even the background music fades as all eyes shift to where we’re standing.

Ginevra doesn’t move, doesn’t flinch under the stares. She just fixes her tank top and straightens.

“This beautiful, breathtaking woman,” I say, letting my gaze sweep over every face in the room. “Is my wife.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd, making Ginevra’s breath quicken.

“I’ve been the worst kind of bastard,” I announce, my words raw. “Lied to you on the most fundamental of levels. Manipulated you at every turn, and broke your trust. I don’t deserve a second chance, but I don’t run from my mistakes.”

Her brows pinch, and I know she’s still wondering what the hell I’m doing.

I drop down to my knees on the marble floor, eliciting gasps from the stunned crowd, but the only one that matters is Ginevra’s.

“But I’m sorry, and not just because my actions drove you away. You’ve always been my equal, my partner, the better half of my soul. You deserved better, yet I treated you like a pawn.”

Her throat bobs, but she doesn’t speak.

“I want to make things right,” I continue. “And I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life treating you like the goddess you truly are,” I say. Emotions swell, threatening to choke off my words, but I force them down with a deep breath. “I’m also sorry for this spectacle, but the whole world needs to know how much I’ve wronged you, starting with this public apology and a declaration of my love.”

Eyes widening, she clutches her chest, then blinks, loosening tears. The silence in the casino is deafening, but we may as well be alone, since nobody matters except my Ginevra.

“I won't ask for your forgiveness now,” I say, my ribs tightening around the ache. “That’s something I want the chance to earn.”

A sharp, unbearable pressure grips my chest as she continues staring down at me without uttering a word.

“But while you’re waiting for me to be a better man, I’ll give you anything—a ring, your own house, a real wedding,” I blurt. “All I ask for is the chance to be the husband you deserve.”

I cling to her hips, mirroring the way she begged the day I murdered Julian Riva and the morning after I made her believeshe’d been unfaithful. Pressing my forehead to her thighs, I hold on as if she’s the only thing keeping me from drowning.

“I’m nothing without you, Ginevra. You were always my moral compass, and when you left, I was lost. I’m not worthy of a second chance, but I’ll do anything to earn it.”

An ache spreads across my chest at the admission, but I make myself continue. “I took everything good between us and destroyed it when I lied and didn’t trust you, and when I tried to control your life instead of letting you live it. I see it all now, and I hate the man I became.”

“Really?” she whispers.

I nod. “I’ll do anything. Everything I can to improve. Not just for you, but for us.”

“How?”

“I’ll rebuild myself. Take more therapy. You can come with me. Establish boundaries, whatever it takes. But I’ll do it with or without you because you deserve to see me become the man I should have been.”

She breathes hard as though needing more convincing, her trembling fingers hovering just above my head. I wait, feeling every agonizing second of her indecision. She wanted me to fight for her, and here I am—on my fucking knees in front of staff, security, and spectators—but the fear of her rejection rakes at my heart like claws.

“You begged me, Ginevra. You begged for trust, for love, for respect—and I didn’t listen. I failed you over and over. I can never undo the damage I caused but I can devote every day of the rest of my life trying.”

Her features flicker with even more of that indecision. I wait, every second stretching into an eternity. My heart hammers so loudly it drowns out the chatter, and I wonder if I’ve already lost her. That thought cuts deeper than anything I’ve ever known.

“Tell me what you need, and I’ll give it to you. Tell me what I’m still doing wrong, and I’ll fix it. I’ll do anything, Ginevra. Just… don’t walk away.”

She licks her lips, finally parting them to say, “I can’t forgive you. And I can’t take you back.”

My heart crashes into my stomach, and desperation grips me by the throat.

“Not right away,” she adds.

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