Page 134 of Summoned
“My wish was for you to have everything I didn’t as a child. Private tutors. Vacations. To be surrounded by friends. I thought that would make you happy. And from the outside, you seemed happy. You always wore the most beautiful clothes, got invited to all the important events. I believed you were getting everything you had dreamed of.”Her face tightens. “At least until I realized Deliberov wasn’t right for you, and your father just kept pushing.”
I observe the puffiness on her features. “Clothes? Parties? Do those things makeyouhappy?”
Her gaze clouds over. “I’ve been lost for a long time, but I thought your path would be nothing like mine. If I did what’s best for you.”
I understand her, a little. And yet, I don’t. Suggesting what’s best for me isn’t the same asknowingwhat’s best for me. None of it matters now. Nothing I say from this point on will make a difference.
So I just pull her into an embrace. Her body tenses at first, then slowly softens. She trembles, and her tears soak into my cheek.
“Thank you… for taking care of me the way you could back then,” I whisper. “Now, I need you to take care of yourself, too. If my father is hurting you…leave him. There’s not a single reason you should keep enduring this.”
Her arms loosen for a second, then tighten again. “I promise,” she says, her voice shaking.
We stay like that for a while. And when we finally let go, I catch a glint of sharpness in her eyes. Something I haven’t seen in years. I can only hope she keeps her word.
* * *
A block before the hotel, I step out of the taxi and slip on my heels, floppy hat,and oversized sunglasses. I enter the lobby, clutching my duffel bag in one hand and a fistful of rehearsed lies in the other.
At the reception, I keep my head bowed under the hat and never take off my sunglasses while I sign the eventcontract. Then I pay the remaining balance, and remind them that Signor Neri’s guests are not to be disturbed under any circumstances.
The private elevator ride to the top level lasts under a minute, but it feels longer.Silence greets me atthe presidential suite. The flooring is dark hardwood, softened by rugs with abstract golden patterns. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal a panoramic view of the city. The curtains are half-drawn. In the center of the room, leather armchairs surround a low black marble table. Along the far wall, a long bar is stocked with glasses and bottles of liquor.
I walk through the living area and open the door to the bedroom. Everything inside is oversized—the bed, the windows, the space between the furniture.
There’s something about the stillness and the openness that I’ve missed. Daria’s presence feels like a hug. Gaetano’s closeness is like oxygen. And right now, I just need to be alone with myself for an hour—before the beginning of the end. A quiet farewell to the Little Baroness.
I set the bag on the floor, remove my shoes and clothes, and step into the bathroom. Under the muted lighting, the marble walls glow with the color of wet sand. I draw a bath and sink into it.
Surrounded by water, I finally let my fear surface. The fear that I’ll have to decide who lives and who dies. That I’ll choose myself over everyone else. And everything might fall apart.
My body trembles beneath the surface, lungs tight,bloodracing. I let the rest of the panic in. I let the tears fall. And when it’s all poured out of me, a single truth remains, carved in my heart and my bones. I don’t know exactly where I’m going, but I want to go there. With him.
Whatever it takes.
An hour later, I step onto the floor, leaving damp footsteps. Wrapping a towel around myself, I fix my hair in front of the mirror above the sink. Just as I reach for the blow dryer, the steam-filled air shifts into a scent I recognize too well. My heart skips a beat. “Gaetano.”
His silhouette appears behind me in the mirror and out gazes meet in the reflection. That same unexplainable darkness lingers in his eyes.
I’m about to ask what’s wrong. But then he’s on me. He yanks the towel away and spins me to face him. Gripping my waist, he lifts me onto the vanity. His hands part my thighs as he sinks to his knees between them.
“You said you’d be at Daria’s.” His breath brushes against my skin, making me shiver.
“I… felt I needed to see my mom.”
I barely prop myself up on my elbows before his mouth finds me. His tongue slides between my fold, then he pulls back. “Don’t do it a second time. Not without warning me.” He licks me again. “Something could’ve happened.”
My spine arches. I dig my fingers into the stone beneath me. “It was fine. I made sure my father wasn’t there.”
Heat blooms through me, fast and blinding. I moan, teetering on the edge.
Gaetano stands, unfastening his pants with one hand. His darkened eyes lock onto mine, and for a split second, I think I see fear—only to have it vanish before I can identify it.
“Just… don’t do anything unplanned. Not until this is over,” he says.
Then the full weight of his arousal presses into me, shattering every thought. He fills me in one fluid thrust, and I unravel in an instant. My core clenches around him as I clutch his shoulders, nails digging into the skin.
Moments later, his body tenses over mine, fingers biting into my thighs. He comes inside me with a few fierce thrusts, like he needs to bury himself as deep as he can.
