Page 22 of When We Fall: Part One
“I…” I couldn’t get the words out.
“Alessandro.” He stared me down, his voice soft.
Damnit to hell.
“If I make good on this, I get to join them,” I said, the words sounding ridiculous as they poured from my mouth.
He was quiet for a moment before he finally spoke.
“I see,” he said. “Is that what you want? To join them? To share a woman you love?”
“I want her. However I can have her. If it means I have to share, I’m open to it.”
“Love does crazy things to our minds, doesn’t it?” he mused softly. “Even willing to share what we love.”
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” I looked at him, hoping for some sort of guidance.
He grew quiet for a long beat.
“Well, I suppose to an outside eye, it would be. I will not judge you, my boy. We know our hearts, yes?”
I nodded tightly.
“Much too bad it’s with the enemies’ woman.”
I said nothing, knowing he hated the De Lucas.
“Have you considered that? How it will work? You are my heir. My eldest. My son.”
“Father—”
“I do not require an answer now. Simply consider it carefully before you tell me.”
I breathed out, silently agreeing.
“So. You require help.” He sat back in his seat. “I’m interested to see which thread needs to be pulled so we can unravel what’s going on. Bianca, if she’s out there, needs to come home.” A dark smile curled his lips upward.
I remained quiet, hoping he’d give me something to go on or any sort of help.
“I annulled their marriage,” he continued. “I, too, considered she was alive, and it was a ruse. The ending of their marriage didn’t seem to have any impact. In fact, it seems to have driven him mad. Mad enough to try to take his own life.” His words came out clipped and angry.
“Father, do you not love Dominic?”
He let out a soft laugh. “My feelings for Dominic are… different. They do not matter. He does not matter. I have you now. My son. My true heir.” His darkness receded, and he stared at me in a way that told me all I needed to know.
My father loved me.
There was no way in hell I could break his heart right now and tell him I wanted nothing to do with this life.
That would come at another time. Right now, I needed to focus on what mattered most.
Rosalie.
And to get to Rosalie, I had to get to Bianca.
“I will tell you this because you are my son. I am aware Dominic had a lord in his bed with his wife.Fallon Vasiliev. The new leader.I know a great many things and have eyes everywhere, even within the lords. It is because of this I will guide you to Alessio.”
“Alessio?”
