Page 81 of Iron Roses

Inside her.

Breathing hard.

Letting her hold me up without even realizing she is.

Then—

She pushes me away.

I stumble back a step, still breathless, still heavy with her scent, her taste, her heat on me. She walks without looking at me, bare feet silent against the floor, skin flushed and glowingwith sex and rage. She picks up her nightgown from where it fell—a puddle of lace.

She pulls it over her body. Then she turns and meets my eyes.

“I’m not Giovanna.”

The words hit harder than the slam of the bathroom door that follows.

And I’m left there—panting, stained with everything I thought I wanted.

****

I don't see her again till it’s dinner time.

I’m already seated at the long dining table when I hear her steps on the marble.

She’s changed into something clean—a soft navy dress that falls just above her knees, long sleeves clinging gently to her arms. Her hair is brushed and pulled back low at the nape of her neck, a few strands loose at her temples. She looks better. Not pale. Not flushed. No fever in her eyes.

She doesn’t look at me.

I straighten in my chair. I wait for a glance. A flicker of acknowledgment.

She pulls the chair out. Sits across from me. Her hands are calm as she places her napkin in her lap.

The plates have already been set—roast lamb slices arranged beside roasted pumpkin, broccolini stacked like little spears, a dish of warm beetroot and feta. Fresh sourdough sits untouched between us.

She begins eating. I’m relieved she’s here. That the color has returned to her skin. That she’s eating. But her silence slices deeper than anything she’s said to me.

Every now and then, I glance up. She never looks up.

Then the door opens.

Lorenzo walks in, hand still on the latch, chest rising like he ran the last few steps. He’s wearing a gray tee and dark slacks, and his face is tight.

“You’re not going to believe it,” he says, still catching his breath. “Fausto’s at the gate.”

Elaria sets her fork down. She doesn’t speak.

Lorenzo continues. “He wants to search the house.”

I’m already pushing back from the table.

Lorenzo turns to the guard just inside the door. “Take her. Garden. Stay with her. Keep her out of sight.”

The guard nods. Moves quickly to Elaria’s side.

They slip through the far exit.

A minute later, the front doors open.

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