AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I want nothing more than to go back to Venice, cocoon myself in my gym, wrap myself in Tomas’s love, and leave this whole episode behind. But it turns out I, too, have a vindictive streak in me. “Does he know that Damir Malinov is dead? Would he have found out?”
“No. It’s too soon.”
“Good,” I tell him, a vicious smile on my face. “I want to be the one who delivers the news to him.”
He pinned everything on this alliance with the Russians going through. I want to see the look on his face when I tell him it’s over.
An hour later, I knock on the front door of Vidone Laurenti’s rental villa. My father smiles widely when he sees who it is. “Alina,” he exclaims, opening his arms wide to hug me. “I was just about to call you. Tell me you’ve changed your mind.” He sees Tomas at my side, and his smile falls away. “What are you doing here?”
Tomas doesn’t reply. I ignore my father’s outstretched arms. “After we had coffee today, I had a long conversation with Cecelia d’Este.”
Vidone Laurenti’s face turns expressionless.
“She told me something very interesting. She said that you’ve known about my existence for two years.”
“She’s lying,” he splutters.
“She’s not the one lying, father. Why did you wait to contact me? The truth, please.”
Vidone must know I’m not buying his paternal act any longer. “You want the truth?” he spits out. “Here it is, then. Why would I contact you? You’re a bastard. You should have never been born. Your existence is an insult to my wife, to my family. If your bitch of a mother hadn’t taken off, I’d have killed her.”
At my side, Tomas stiffens. “Say the word,” he says, calm on the surface, a seething mass of fury underneath. “And I will kill him.”
I wait for pain to wash over me at Vidone Laurenti’s words. It doesn’t happen. This man will never be my father—not in any way that counts. And I refuse to give him the power to hurt me any longer.
“No. That’s too easy.” I lace my fingers in Tomas’s and stare Laurenti in the eyes. “Damir Malinov is dead. Tomas killed him an hour ago. Your alliance with the Russians is over. When you lie awake at night, wondering where it all went wrong, know this. Two years ago, I was grieving. I was lost, and all I wanted was a crumb of affection. I wanted a family so desperately that if you’d given me that, I would have done anything you asked me.” I start to turn away from him. “When you confront the wreckage that is your career, remember that it wasn’t the daughter who should have never been born who did this to you. You did this to yourself.”
And then I walk out of Vidone Laurenti’s life for good. With each step, the weight on my shoulders lifts. I shut the door behind us, and the sun comes out from behind a cloud, and it feels like a new beginning.
All my life, I dreamed of finding my father. But it turns out I don’t need him. I’ve never needed him. I close my eyes for a second, and send an apology to my mother. I’m sorry, I whisper. If my questions ever brought you pain, please forgive me. And thank you for bringing me up. For being a strong, steady presence in my life every single day. For showing me how to always being kind. For teaching me to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds. For being the only parent I ever needed.
“You okay?” Tomas asks me, his eyes warm and kind.
I’ve spent a long time feeling alone. But I’m not alone, not anymore. I have Tomas. He sees me like nobody else does. He believes in me even when I doubt myself. He’s my infuriating partner, my rock, my everything.
“I will be.” I slip my hand in his. It’s time to leave the past behind and embrace the future, the one with Tomas in it. “You know something? My mother would have really liked you.”
In the car, I lean back in the passenger seat. “What now?” I ask, shutting my eyes and letting the adrenaline drain away.
“We could head to the airport. Antonio’s private plane is gassed up and waiting. We could be home in three hours.”
I jerk up in my seat. “Your parents would never forgive you. Or me.”
“For leaving without saying goodbye? Please. My mother will forgive this and a lot more.” A smile creases his face. “As long as we let her throw us an engagement party in Valencia.”
“Engagement party?” My heart leaps. Our conversation got cut off when a sniper shot at us. Does this mean… “Really?”
“Of course. I’m crazy about you, Ali.” His eyes fall on the engagement ring I’m still wearing, and he pulls off the road and into a deserted parking lot with spectacular views of the ocean. He lifts my hand up and slides the ring off my finger. “We might have been pretending to be engaged,” he says quietly, “but it never felt fake. Not for a single minute. It always felt real.”
He takes a deep breath. “We haven’t known each other for very long. It’s soon. We can wait if you’d prefer, but it’s going to change nothing in my heart. I love you, Alina Zuccaro, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me? We can have a long engagement?—”
Nothing’s going to change for me either—my heart swells with certainty, and I know. I’ve found more than love with Tomas. I’ve found a deep sense of belonging. He is my safe haven, my family, and my home. We might drive each other crazy. We might spar and banter and threaten to poison each other. (To be fair, it’s mostly me threatening to poison him.) But underneath, he’s my person. He’s my forever. He’s my happily-ever-after.
“Yes,” I reply, cutting him off and launching myself into his arms. “I don’t need any more time. I’m sure. So, yes. Yes, yes, yes.”
EPILOGUE
ALINA
