Page 112 of Ruined By Blood
The water tastes clean and cool. I focus on the sensation as it slides down my throat, anchoring myself to this small physical reality.
"Your brother is..." I trail off, unsure how to finish the sentence. Terrifying? Beautiful?
"A force of nature?" Zoe supplies with a small smile. "Trust me, I understand. The Feretti men are overwhelming."
"I still can't believe you got your mother back," Lucrezia says, settling into the loveseat beside Zoe.
I nod knowing that she is genuinely happy for us.
Silence falls between us. I feel their eyes on me, waiting for more, but words stick in my throat. How do I explain what it feels like to have your entire world upended in a matter of weeks?
"You don't have to talk about it," Lucrezia says finally. "Not if you're not ready."
Her kindness breaks something loose inside me. "I don't know how to feel," I admit. "Part of me wants to run back to my mother. Part of me wants to see my father suffer. And part of me..." I swallow hard. "Part of me just wants to stay here, with him."
"Is that crazy? After everything that's happened?" I ask.
Lucrezia leans forward. "Sometimes the safest place is with the most dangerous person in the room."
"I just..." I take a deep breath. "I love being here. With all of you. It feels like..." I struggle to find the right words.
"Family?" Zoe suggests.
Tears prick at my eyes. "I don't even know what that means anymore. But yes, I think so."
Lucrezia reaches over and squeezes my hand. "Then stay. For as long as you need. Forever, if you want."
I take a deep breath, determined to shift the heaviness in the room. "Zoe, how's your pregnancy going? You're... four months along now, right?"
Zoe's face lights up immediately, her hand instinctively moving to rest on her small bump. "Almost five months now, actually. Everything's going well—the morning sickness finally stopped last week, thank God."
"That's wonderful," I say, genuinely interested. Something about new life feels like a balm after all the darkness.
"I can't wait to meet her," Zoe says, her eyes softening. "Or him. We decided not to find out."
"Damiano must be excited," I venture.
Zoe laughs, the sound warm and genuine. "Excited doesn't begin to cover it. He's already talking about building a security detail for the baby. Can you imagine? Armed guards around a crib?"
Lucrezia rolls her eyes. "My brother is ridiculous. Both of them are."
"What about names?" I ask, eager to keep this normal conversation going. "Have you thought about?—"
A firm knock interrupts us. The door opens, and Enzo fills the frame, his broad shoulders nearly touching both sides. His eyes find me immediately, like he doesn't even see the others in the room.
"There you are," he says, his voice a deep rumble that sends a shiver down my spine.
"Here I am," I answer softly.
Enzo's gaze sweeps over me, assessing. "You need rest," he states, not a question but a declaration. "It's been a long day."
"We were just having a girl talk," Lucrezia protests. "You can't just barge in and?—"
"It's okay," I interrupt, already standing. My body aches for sleep, for quiet, for him. "He's right, I am tired."
Zoe gives me a knowing look. "We'll talk more tomorrow."
Enzo waits for me at the door, his hand extended. I take it, feeling his warm fingers curl around mine.
