Page 127 of His Kidnapped Queen
“I owe you forever,” I promise, and he draws me into a hug, kissing my forehead.
“Are you going to be okay? After, I mean?”
“I’ll be fine,” I say, but I’m not sure I will be. My heart feels like it’s being ripped out of my chest as I wait for Luca to leave the country and my life forever.
“Where is he going?”
I shake my head. “Thought it was best if I didn’t know.”
“Are you sure about this, Sophia? We can’t go back from this. They won’t tie it to us, I was careful, but?—”
“It’s the right thing to do, Scott. I promise.”
He doesn’t look like he’s so sure, but he loves me and he trusts me.
I’m a lucky woman to have men like Scott in my life. Men like Luca. Diego. My father. All good men, in their way.
And I want Rosa to have those good influences in her life, too. She just can’t have them all at once. If Luca leaves…
Rosa wakes and starts to cry, and I rush to the car. Luca hums a song in a low voice, and she slowly quiets.
“Where going, Daddy?”
“I—” Luca starts, his voice breaking.
I open the back door and sit next to Rosa, taking her small hand.
“Daddy has to go away for a while.”
“No,” she says petulantly, her bottom lip poking out. “No, Daddy stays.”
“Ican’t,” Luca mourns, looking between me and Rosa with wet green eyes.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say, tears filling my eyes as she wrenches away from me.
“No! I didn’t have a daddy and now I do and he’s notgoing!”
She pulls off her straps and climbs out of the seat, rushing across the center console to climb into Luca’s lap.
He holds her close even though it must hurt his chest. He kisses along the side of her face.
“It’s alright,belissima,” he murmurs. “It’s going to be alright.”
“But I’m your princess!” she pleads. “You said I can have anything I want. And I wantyou, Daddy!”
She clutches onto his chest but one of Luca’s men is calling to us, gesturing that the jet is ready and there’s no time.
I rip her out of his arms and Luca protests, clutching at her, but I move her away.
“This has to happen,” I tell him over Rosa’s screams. “I’m sorry.”
“I won’t go,” Luca says firmly and I groan, exasperated, moving a fighting and screaming Rosa to my other hip.
“You have to. Please,” I plead, staring at him with streaming eyes.
“I’m not leaving my daughter just to assuage your guilt, Sophia.”
“That’s not why I’m doing this! I’m doing it because you deserve to be free.Rosaneeds to know that you’re free.”
