manhood pulsated inside me, prolonging the sensation of pleasure. His lips trailed wet kisses down my neck, at times grazing my skin with his teeth. Both of us were covered in sweat and panting for air. It took us minutes to return our breathing to normal. And in those minutes, we still existed as one. Alessandro whispered to me the entire time. “Tesoro, you are so fucking perfect. I’m such a lucky guy. I’m gonna show you how much you mean to me. I have such an amazing surprise for you, bella mia…you’re gonna love it.”
In those moments, reality trickled back in and his taunting words hurt me. Slowly, he disengaged himself and lay on the other side of bed, his arms reaching out and dragging me toward him. As I lay motionless in his embrace, he continued caressing me, kissing the top of my head and murmuring those same reassurances. “It’s going to be okay, piccola…It’s going to be okay.”
I laid my head on his chest, and for a few seconds, pretended I was living in a fairytale. How amazing my life would be if this beautiful moment was real and the ugliness imaginary. It felt good to pretend, so I went along with it as we breathed in sync, listening to the tapping of heavy raindrops hitting the glass. Everyone could sin once, right? This was my last sin. My one and only sin. Somewhere deep inside, I always wanted Alessandro Damiani…I wanted him and I hated him—all at the same time.
As he moved away from me and got out of bed, he took all the warmth with him and icy coldness settled right back into my heart. I gazed after his powerful form as he disappeared into the bathroom for a couple of minutes. Without delay, I jumped out of bed, tiptoed to the envelope and tossed it into a drawer. With slow precision, I inched the drawer until it softly closed. I then dashed back into bed and arranged myself in the same position as before. After a few more seconds, he reemerged and—none the wiser—started putting on his clothes. He smiled mysteriously as though he was really excited about something. I didn’t know what cruel games hid in the back of his deranged mind. I didn’t know how he intended to hurt me this time. In a few hours, it wouldn’t matter…
Once he was dressed, he tiptoed to bed and grinned, laying a small kiss on my forehead. I was lost in thought so deep that I didn’t stir. He lowered his body to my level and caressed my face, willing me to look at him. In an emotionless, mechanical movement, I shifted my head and met his glistening, dark gaze.
“Why so serious, tesoro?” he queried softly, and I gave him a small, weak smile that triggered another grin from him. “That’s more like it. You should smile more often. It suits you better.”
Once again, my thoughts returned to the accident and the baby in my stomach. “I will,” I murmured, clutching the damp sheets between my hands. “I’m sure that I will.”
He smiled with approval and planted a kiss on my temple. “I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon, piccola.”
I nodded, my throat suddenly constricting with unshed tears. “It’s okay. Go. I’ll be waiting.”
He strolled to the door and paused for a short moment to give me another seemingly reassuring smile. The thought this would be my last memory of him filled me with a strange sense of melancholy. When he disappeared out of the room, I rested my hand against my belly, once again gathering the strength to make it through this. I allowed myself one more emotional moment, then forced my entire system into rigidness. I hopped off the bed and walked back into the bathroom where I took a shower before donning a simple black dress. After assessing my appearance in the mirror for the last time, I reemerged into the room and heard sounds of commotion coming from outside. I ambled to the window just in time to catch a glimpse of Alessandro’s sports convertible speed away down the driveway. A few minutes later, Broderick followed in his black SUV. Good and bad memories of my time with Alessandro interchanged before my eyes, and strengthened my resolve. There was too much pain. Too many tears...and I was done hurting.
“Goodbye, Alessandro,” I whispered and spun on my heels.
I ambled down the hallway and descended the stairs. Then, I