AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In a voice a lot more calmer than before, Kasen Sartori said, “Thank you, Russio.”
It took everything that I had in me not to assist her as she approached the couch, but I managed. “Mrs. Sartori,” I greeted when she neared the couch.
“Call me Kasen,” she allowed graciously as she lowered herself onto the couch. “As much as I love my husband, being call Mrs. Sartori all damn day long gets tiresome.”
I tried not to grin. “I bet.”
Kasen smiled at me, and though she’d always been an extremely beautiful woman from what I could remember, pregnancy looked good on her, and she really was glowing when I’d always believed that glowing during pregnancy had been a myth. Kasen Sartori was gorgeous with her black hair, hazel eyes, and stunning face, and she was also probably going to be one of those lucky women that lost all the baby fat one month after giving birth.
“It’s good to meet you officially, Savina,” she said. “I remember your family.”
“I’m surprise that you remember me,” I replied honestly. “You hadn’t been to many…uh, functions that I could recall. Last I heard, you had become a lawyer and had been allowed to have a different kind of life.”
“Yeah, see how well that worked out for me,” she snorted, making me grin.
I gestured towards her stomach. “Congratulations, by the way.”
Kasen cocked her head as she regarded me carefully. “You know, there isn’t anything that Nero doesn’t tell me.”
The warmth on my face was immediate. Though I was certain that she hadn’t said that to embarrass me, I still felt the sting of all my mistakes like a slap in the face. “That’s…uh, unusual,” I replied, partly to buy some time, and partly because it was true.
Instead of getting offended, Kasen just smiled. “Nero’s rather unusual.”
As I stared at the most powerful woman that I knew, I decided to reach deep inside my heart for some faith. While I didn’t know Kasen Sartori beyond who she was, and while the woman didn’t owe me anything, I had no one else to talk to. My parents weren’t an option, and Aurelio was too emotionally invested in this clusterfuck to be objective.
“What would you do?” I asked, finally acknowledging what she’d said.
She looked pensive, but her eyes softened at my question. “Do you love Aurelio?”
I nodded. “I wouldn’t be in this situation if I didn’t.”
Not caring about all the ears around us, she said, “If it were me, I’d find a way around the rules and do what needed to be done.”
I let out a heavy sigh. “That’s a lot easier said than done.”
“Not really,” she replied easily. “If there’s anyone that knows all the players in this game well enough to outsmart them, it’s you. While I understand anger, regret, love, and revenge, there is something more at play that is way more important than any of those things. In fact, it’s the most important thing in the world.”
“What’s that?”
“Peace,” she answered. “The peace that you can only find when you’re able to look at yourself in the mirror with no regrets.” Her entire face softened. “How long has it been since you’ve felt that, Savina?”
“Not since the day that I walked away from Aurelio,” I admitted.
“You won’t be any good to Aurelio, and you’ll never be able to build something sustainable between you if you’re not at peace with your past,” she said. “It’s one thing to have regrets, it’s quite another to live in those regrets. If you’re unable to sleep at night, how are you going to be able to love him during the day?”
“He’ll hate me,” I whispered, feeling the truth down to the marrow of my bones.
“I can’t lie and say that he won’t be furious with you, but he won’t hate you,” she replied, sounding confident.
“How can you know that?”
“Because men like Aurelio Provenza love only once in a lifetime, Savina,” she said softly. “If he was capable of hating you, then he would have perfected the ability during these past three years. Instead, he’s ready to go to war for you.”
“How do you know that?” I asked, fiddling with the ring that I still wore.
“Because Nero tells me everything,” she repeated. “I know that Ashton Oliver lives in O’Brien territory, and I also know what that means for the Sartoris if Aurelio goes after Ashton without Declan’s blessing.”
“I can’t have Aurelio owing Declan O’Brien anything.”
