Page 36 of Redemption

“I’m glad you still wear them. Although I think you should take this one off.”

I let out a soft chuckle into his chest.

“Please continue. Tell me about Dublin.”

“I—”

“Wait,” he cuts me off. He lifts me up and carries me to the bed. He settles next to me and then pulls my head into his lap.

“You know it would probably be better if you put your briefs back on.”

“You don’t like my dick in your hair?” he jokes.

“Kilian!”

“Alright.” He throws his hands up and grabs the sheet and pulls it over him. “Better?”

“Yes.”

“So how was I never able to find you after you left Dublin?”

“Like I said, Giancarlo was nice to me for maybe the only time in his life. Maybe it was guilt over my parents’ death—”

“Guilt?”

“You are still unbelievably talented at interrupting stories,” I say as I pinch his arm.

He swats me away. “Sorry. Please continue.”

“I don’t have proof or anything other than a gut feeling that Giancarlo had my parents killed. My father was his older brother. He would have taken over the family once my grandfather died. And my grandfather was sick. It was only a matter of time.” I pause, remembering those days when I felt so lost without my mother. “Anyway, he let me go to Trinity. My parents had told me I could go there. My mother excited for me to get out of the country and experience a different life. Giancarlo was able to get me registered under a false name, he got me all the documents, everything I needed.”

“And that’s why I was never able to find you.”

I nod. “When I went back to my family’s estate, I went back to being Mirabella Renzetti.”

“When did you change your name to Di Masio?”

I stare at the ceiling, the memory of me realizing I had to find a way to hide the baby. I was nearly two months pregnant and I had to find a way to lie. “I couldn’t stand being there. Too many bad memories. I fought Giancarlo tooth and nail to let me leave. My grandmother’s home in Cefalù was unoccupied. It was mine by right. So I convinced him once again to let me leave.”

Kilian’s fingers run up and down my arm, into my palm, and then back up. “You must be a master negotiator.”

I snort. “If only it still worked on him. He’s only gotten more ruthless as the years have gone by. Of course, Aria has learned some master negotiating and manipulation skills. She had to have gotten those from me, although…”

I almost said you are good at negotiating too. I don’t know why I even brought her up.

“Aria is a beautiful name. How old is she?”

I swallow back my anxiety. “She’ll be nine in April.”

He’s silent after I say that and I pray to God he is not doing math. Not figuring out the time line from when I left to when I had her. So instead I say the stupidest thing to cover up my slip. “I was so mad when I got back to Genoa. I never wanted to be around my uncle or my cousins, so I snuck out almost every night. I got drunk and hooked up with some random guy. I never even knew his name.”

Kilian’s hand freezes on my arm before he takes it away. He’s quiet once again and when I look at him he’s looking out the balcony doors, his jaw tight, anger prevalent across his features.

Why didn’t I just lie about her age? Instead of saying I slept with someone right after I left Dublin. I bite my lip, not sure what to say to him.

I wait for nearly ten minutes before he says, “I think you should get some rest.”

He goes to move but I clamp down on his wrist. “Kilian, please.”

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