Page 132 of The One
Now I know for sure that he must have taken something at the club.
How can he love me?
Not just fall in love with me in the span of ten days, but love me so much that he wants to marry me?
My stomach somersaults. I feel nauseous.
Is he playing with me?
But he seems so sincere.
“Mari, I love you,” he repeats softly, his voice trembling. “And I’m sorry it took me so long to see what was right in front of me.
“I’ve been waiting for you. And I’m the biggest idiot for not realizing sooner that the woman I’ve been searching for was right under my nose.
“You see, Tiero and I grew up believing there’s one person meant just for us. It was that way for my father and his father before him.
“Despite our culture of arranged marriages and alliances, they believed the strength of the De Marco family is built on love.”
I pull my head slightly back, raising an eyebrow. He chuckles.
“Yes, I know. It’s contradictory to the violence and bloodshed we’re all accustomed to.”
He steps even closer, his gaze unwavering, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he looks away.
“But I swear to you, Mariella, this isn’t some fantasy. I know it’s real because I feel it, every second of every day. When I looked into your eyes for the first time, something in me unleashed. I’ve never felt anything like it before, and it’s only grown stronger since.”
I can barely breathe. His words wash over me, overwhelming and impossible to process.
“You mean that?” I ask, my voice small, barely audible.
He cups my cheek, his thumb brushing my skin like I’m something precious.
“I’ve never been more certain of anything. Mariella Accardi, you are it for me. Now that I’ve finally realized it, I can’t imagine a single day, a single moment, without you.”
My heart is breaking and healing all at once. I want to believe him so badly it hurts. But a tiny voice inside me whispers that this is too good to be true.
“What if… what if this is just a dream?” I murmur, tears pricking at my eyes.
He leans closer, resting his forehead against mine. “Then I hope we never wake up.”
Then his soft lips find mine.
This kiss is so tender, so achingly gentle, it’s as if he’s laying bare every emotion he has for me.
Every ounce of care, every unspoken word, every piece of his heart. It’s all there, pouring into me.
And just like that, I’m melting.
Or maybe it’s the last shred of my resistance dissolving under his caress.
This kiss leaves no room for doubt, no space for fear.
It takes everything I’ve been holding onto and replaces it with something undeniable.
This is real.
He speaks the truth.
