Page 60 of The Breaker
“You look a lot like your dad.”
I nodded, having heard that assessment before.
“But spiritually, you’re the spitting image of your mother.”
I smirked. “I’ll take that compliment. What else did you guys do?”
“She made dinner and we talked. I told her how much I love you, that she reminds me of my own mother. I love you for you, even if she’d hated me like Beatrice does, but it’s nice to have her.”
“I know.” I pulled her into me, holding her close and resting my chin on the top of her head as I cradled her into me. We stood together under the warm shower, listening to the water fall like rain on a winter night.
After a while, she broke the silence. “What did President Barsetti want?”
I hadn’t thought about him since the moment he’d left my sight. My whole world revolved around Aurelia the second she returned to me. “Was in town and just wanted to catch up.”
We sat together at the dining table on the terrace, Medusa lying in her dog bed under the string of white lights that hung overhead, listening to the silence when the birds stopped chirping at sunset.
We’d only been apart for a day, but it felt like a lifetime since we’d had dinner together like this. The chef prepared sautéed fish with vegetables and a side of rice, a dinner that Aurelia probably found boring but I found essential. I was a little more flexible with my diet throughout the day, but in the evening, I tried to keep my nutrition as basic as possible. Besides, it was a healthy meal for both her and our baby.
She took a few bites but seemed mostly distracted.
“Something on your mind?”
She pushed pieces of her fish around as she considered what she’d say next.
Maybe she was still mad after all.
“When I saw you two together, it didn’t seem like old friends catching up.” She set down her fork and looked at me. “I know how you are when you’re with your friends or your family, and you aren’t like that.”
Damn.
“So, what did he really want?”
I wanted to spare her the guilt and obligation. Her only concern should be the life growing inside her. “He asked me to return to Rome and remove Darius from power.” I told her the truth since she wanted to hear it. “I declined.”
She gave a slight nod. “I’ve heard things are bad.”
“From where?”
She shrugged. “Just headlines and stuff. Haven’t looked into it too much.”
“I told him it’s not my problem. Don’t worry about it.”
“Then whose problem is it?” she asked.
“His.” He was the president of Italy. Not me.
“But he’s a politician, and Darius ... is not.”
“He has the military and the police at his disposal. He’ll figure it out.”
“But if he could figure it out, he wouldn’t have come here.”
I cocked my head slightly, unsure of what she was trying to imply. “What are you saying, sweetheart?”
“That it must be really bad if he came all the way here to ask for your help.”
I wouldn’t tell her about the changes that had taken place. The destruction to the streets, the crimes against the good people who lived there. I needed to make sure she knew only peace. “Even if it is, it doesn’t matter.”
