Page 17 of Ti Amo

“How? How do we walk out of here now? No answer? Right. There is no way. Whatever you think you can do, don’t! I won’t risk your life, Eve’s, or mine. This is it. She and I can’t live like this anymore. You said it yourself. If I have to return to the world I’m safest doing ithisway. She’s his daughter.”

“No. No! It’s because of him Mira that you lost your identity. Have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t,” she said. “Can’t you see how terrified I am now? All I know is that I have to do this his way so my daughter isn’t traumatized. I have to.”

Kei put his hands to the sides of his head. “You said if he ever found you, you would turn him away. You said you would never put Eve in danger by returning to Italy. Don’t you remember the nights I held you while you woke up in cold sweats screaming Fabiana’s name? They planted a bomb in his home. What next? In her crib?”

“Did Giovanni try to contact me? Before the bombing? To warn me about the Calderone’s?”

“No.”

“Kei, he said he left messages with my service.”

“He didn’t!” Kei shouted.

Mira paced away from him.

“What’s so hard about this, Mira? He’s a dangerous man, you have a baby, it’s really simple sweetheart. You can’t go anywhere with him. You’re acting like some battered woman that can’t seem to let go of her abuser!”

“You go to hell!” Mira snapped.

“I’m sorry—.”

“You want the truth. Here it is. If I don’t leave with him you won’t leave this cottage alive. Do you understand me? The man out there, I barely recognize him. Too much has happened between us, and he sees you as a threat.”

“Are you saying you’re doing this for me? Because I see the way you look at him. The way you handed Eve over to him.”

“I’m doing what I have to do. Period. For all of us.”

He tried to embrace her. Mira pushed him away. “Go damn it! I swear when we are settled I will call you. Let me get him calm and rational. If you love Eve and me then please just go. Please.”

“How do you expect me to do that? Just walk away?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have the answers. This is what we both have to do. I’ll contact you. I swear it.”

Kei turned and opened the door. They walked back out with Mira taking the lead. Giovanni was no longer in the room with Eve but Dominic and Lorenzo were there waiting.

Mira pushed her hair from her face. “Where are they?”

“The baby took him by the hand and led him that way.” Lorenzo said pointing toward the other end of the hall. Mira nodded, then turned to Kei, “I’ll call you.”

Kei looked at her for a long moment then kissed her forehead. She opened the door for him and held it, watching him go to his car. She remained in the doorway to make sure that Carlo and Carmine didn’t follow Kei as he pulled away. Closing the door she sucked in another breath.

“She’s beautiful, Mira.” Dominic said.

“Thank you.” Mira managed a sad smile.

“Mira?” Lorenzo called her name. “We saw your room of drawings.”

She stared at him. “Giovanni saw all of them?”

“Yes he did.”

She nodded, “Of course he did, he probably went through all my things,” she said bitterly.

Lorenzo touched her arm. “There’s a picture of Fabiana.”

Mira felt her stomach muscles clench with the mention of Fabiana. She looked into Lorenzo’s blue eyes and recognized the pain reflected there, mirroring her own. It wasn’t enough for her to summon sympathy or trust him. If it weren’t for his lies and the games he played that drew Fabiana in, her friend wouldn’t be dead. “I know that must have been hard for you,” she said with civility and forced restraint.

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