bragged to him about it. I don't think I have to tell you I was furious.”
“I can imagine, Alessandro, but she didn't deserve to die,” I said in a reprimanding tone.
He gasped an incredulous smile. “And what did she deserve then, tesoro? Have you already forgotten she condemned you to a life worse than death?”
“No, I haven't forgotten,” I confessed, biting the inside of my cheek. “But I forgave her for it.”
Alessandro shook his head and something lit up in his eyes. “You’re much too kind, Olivia. If you can forgive something like that, I still have hope I’m not beyond redemption in your eyes.”
“I don't know, Alessandro.” I cleared my throat, drowning in his hopeful gaze. “I do want to make this marriage work, but I'm still scared to trust you.”
“Why, Olivia?” He kissed my cheek, then my nose as though he couldn’t help himself. “Haven't I demonstrated I wouldn't hurt you in these past few months? Haven't I repeatedly told you I wanted to make amends and make sure things were different between us?”
“But how can I be sure you're telling the truth? How do I know you will not hurt me again?”
Alessandro shrugged. “How do I know you will not try to kill me again?”
I clutched at his biceps and swallowed. “I won't.”
“But how can I be sure?” he probed softly.
I stared, trying to come up with a valid justification. But then I realized there was nothing I could say to offer a certain reassurance. “You can't,” I whispered in defeat.
“Exactly,” he said. “I don't have all the answers, Olivia. All I ask is a chance. If I blow it, it will be my own fault and I’ll let you go.”
“Alessandro, I can't pretend the past five years never happened,” I said quietly.
“I don't expect you to,” he reassured me. “You can take all the time you need. I promise I'll give it to you. I'll be patient. I'll stay in the background. Just please don't leave me, Olivia.”
“Are you truly giving me a choice?” I inquired with suspicion.
“I am,” he breathed. “I don't want to, but I know that I have to.”
“Why?” I wondered.
“I already told you. I want us to have a real marriage. I could force you to stay, but that would only make everything worse and both of us would be miserable again.”
“Again?” I leaned back to stare into his eyes. “So, you were miserable before?” I queried, sounding baffled.
“Cara, as much as I like to pretend, I'm not made of stone,” he muttered. “Every time I tried to come closer and you pushed me away, I felt like a kicked puppy and I got drunk to make the pain go away.”
“Did you?” I murmured.
“I sure did,” he said gently, and leaned his forehead on mine again. “Tesoro, I need to feel loved too. But I know I have to earn it. I'll do anything to show you how much you mean to me. You just name the word.”
“There is only one thing I could possibly ask you,” I started insecurely.
“What is it, cara?” He caressed my cheek, encouraging me to open up. “Tell me and I'll do it.”
“Can you bring May back?” I asked, and my eyes filled with tears.
He swallowed and had a strange, beaten expression on his face. “Olivia...”
“It's okay. I understand it's near impossible,” I breathed with a wobbly voice. “But I just had to ask.”
“No. Nothing is impossible. You want May back, tesoro?” he whispered, and I nodded in slow motion. “Then I will bring her back, okay?”
His expression was sprinkled with traces of hard promise, and it was my undoing.
“Okay,” I choked out and tears spilled down my cheeks.
“Olivia, please don't cry,” Alessandro murmured, brushing his fingers against my wet cheeks. “I can't bear to see you sad. You will be reunited with your little sister, I promise.”
I nodded and forced myself to stop crying. “Thank you.”
“Don't thank me. It's the least I can do,” he assured gently. “Is there anything else you want to ask me?”
I shook my head. “No. I have no more questions.”
Alessandro nodded and smiled faintly. “Then perhaps we can move on to mine.”
I gulped and gave him an arrested glance, sensing where this was going. “What do you want to know?”
“I want you to tell me about the accident,” he requested calmly. “I want to know how you and Broderick planned it. I also want to know how he became a person of such confidence that you would contemplate committing a murder