Chapter 27
Lorenzo’s fingers traced the edge of the letter, his other hand still gripping my waist. “Because I promised to listen first what do you have to say about. this, cara?”
I couldn’t help but smile, which made his eyebrows furrow in confusion. “This was obvious, wasn’t it? That she would return, that she would threaten us. It’s the consequence of her escape that day at the abandoned building.” I ran my fingers along his jawline, feeling the tension there. “But there’s something else…”
“What?”
“The way she wrote this letter. The specific mentions of you, the focus on our marriage rather than just me…” I shifted in his lap to face him fully. “I think her hatred for you runs deeper than her obsession with destroying me. This isn’t just about me anymore – it’s about you too. Maybe even more about you than me.”
Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed, that dangerous glint returning. “Explain.”
“The tone changes completely when she mentions you. It becomes… personal. Like she’s been waiting for this chance.” I tapped the postscript. “Send my regards to Lorenzo.‘ Not Mr. Constantine, not your full name. Lorenzo. Like she knows you.”
His jaw clenched under my touch. “You think there’s a connection I’m not aware of?”
“I think there’s something she knows – or thinks she knows – about you. Something that makes this more than just a continuation of what she and Dominic started with me.”
“Remember that day in the abandoned building?” I traced the pattern on his shirt. “When she slapped you? Right before she escaped?”
Lorenzo’s eyes darkened at the memory. “She was hysterical.”
“But it wasn’t just hysteria. Her words were specific ‘You’ll pay for what you did.‘ She looked at you like…” I paused, remembering the raw hatred in Camilla’s eyes. “Like she’d been waiting years to say that to your face.”
“I remember.” His thumb brushed across my knuckles. “The look in her eyes… it wasn’t just about you or Dominic. But I’ve gone through every possible connection, every business deal, every interaction. Nothing. I’ve never crossed
paths with her before that day.”
“You’re sure?”
“Completely. The name Camilla DeLuca meant nothing to me until she entered your life. Even now, with all my resources, I can’t find any link betwee us before that day.”
“But she clearly thinks you’ve wronged her somehow.” I pressed my paln against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. “The way she spat those words at you… “This is for everything you stole from me.‘ What could she have meant?”
“I wish I knew, cara.” His hand covered mine. “It would make eliminating this threat much simpler if I understood her motivation.”
I took a deep breath, my fingers still tracing patterns on his chest. “Lorenzo… there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for months now, but I kep putting it off. We were so happy, and I didn’t want to disturb that peace.”
His hand stilled over mine. “What is it?”
–
“Those years we were apart after we broke up, during my time with Dominic… I never asked what happened to you.” I met his gaze. “How did you become… this? Il Fantasma? The man everyone in the underworld fears?”
Lorenzo’s muscles tensed beneath my touch. His eyes, usually warm when looking at me, took on that distant quality I’d seen when he dealt with business
matters.
“You were different back then, I continued softly. “We were young, carefree. You worked at your father’s company, but you weren’t involved in… this world. Then I run into you years later, and you’re not just part of it – you rule
it.”
His jaw worked silently for a moment. “You’re right. Maybe understanding those years could help us figure out Camilla’s angle.”
“That’s part of it,” I admitted. “But also… you know everything about my past, every dark moment with Dominic, every scar Camilla left. But those years. of your life? They’re still a mystery to me.”
“It’s not a pretty story, cara.”
“I don’t need pretty. I need true.” I cupped his face with both hands. “Whatever happened during those six years that turned you into II Fantasma – I want to know. Not just because of Camilla’s threats, but because it’s part of who you are.”
Lorenzo’s lips curved into that smile I loved, the one that reached his eyes
Pregnant
Chapter 27-
Lorenzo’s fingers traced the edge of the letter, his other hand still gripping my waist. “Because I promised to listen first what do you have to say about. this, cara?”
I couldn’t help but smile, which made his eyebrows furrow in confusion. “This was obvious, wasn’t it? That she would return, that she would threaten us. It’s the consequence of her escape that day at the abandoned building.” I ran my fingers along his jawline, feeling the tension there. “But there’s something else…”
“What?”
“The way she wrote this letter. The specific mentions of you, the focus on our marriage rather than just me…” I shifted in his lap to face him fully. “I think her hatred for you runs deeper than her obsession with destroying me. This isn’t just about me anymore – it’s about you too. Maybe even more about you
than me.”
Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed, that dangerous glint returning. “Explain.”
“The tone changes completely when she mentions you. It becomes… personal. Like she’s been waiting for this chance.” I tapped the postscript. “Send my regards to Lorenzo.‘ Not Mr. Constantine, not your full name. Lorenzo. Liko
she knows you.”
His jaw clenched under my touch. “You think there’s a connection I’m not aware of?”
–
“I think there’s something she knows – or thinks she knows – about you. Something that makes this more than just a continuation of what she and Dominic started with me.”
“Remember that day in the abandoned building?” I traced the pattern on his shirt. “When she slapped you? Right before she escaped?”
Lorenzo’s eyes darkened at the memory. “She was hysterical.”
“But it wasn’t just hysteria. Her words were specific – ‘You’ll pay for what you did.‘ She looked at you like…” I paused, remembering the raw hatred in Camilla’s eyes. “Like she’d been waiting years to say that to your face.”
“I remember.” His thumb brushed across my knuckles. “The look in her eyes… it wasn’t just about you or Dominic. But I’ve gone through every possible connection, every business deal, every interaction. Nothing. I’ve never crossed
paths with her before that day.”
“You’re sure?”
“Completely. The name Camilla DeLuca meant nothing to me until she entered your life. Even now, with all my resources, I can’t find any link between us before that day.”
“But she clearly thinks you’ve wronged her somehow.” I pressed my palm against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. “The way she spat those words at you… ‘This is for everything you stole from me.‘ What could she have meant?”
“I wish I knew, cara.” His hand covered mine. “It would make eliminating this threat much simpler if I understood her motivation.”
I took a deep breath, my fingers still tracing patterns on his chest. “Lorenzo… there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for months now, but I kept putting it off. We were so happy, and I didn’t want to disturb that peace.”
His hand stilled over mine. “What is it?”
“Those years we were apart after we broke up, during my time with. Dominic… I never asked what happened to you.” I met his gaze. “How did you become… this? Il Fantasma? The man everyone in the underworld fears?”
Lorenzo’s muscles tensed beneath my touch. His eyes, usually warm when looking at me, took on that distant quality I’d seen when he dealt with business
matters.
“You were different back then,” I continued softly. “We were young, carefree. You worked at your father’s company, but you weren’t involved in… this world. Then I run into you years later, and you’re not just part of it – you rule
it.”
His jaw worked silently for a moment. “You’re right. Maybe understanding those years could help us figure out Camilla’s angle.”
“That’s part of it,” I admitted. “But also… you know everything about my past, every dark moment with Dominic, every scar Camilla left. But those years of your life? They’re still a mystery to me.”
“It’s not a pretty story, cara.”
“I don’t need pretty. I need true.” I cupped his face with both hands. “Whatever happened during those six years that turned you into II Fantasma – I want to know. Not just because of Camilla’s threats, but because it’s part of who you are.”
Lorenzo’s lips curved into that smile I loved, the one that reached his eyes.
and softened the sharp edges of his face.
Chapter 27
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12:01 Sun, 2 Mar
and softened the sharp edges of his face.
He leaned forward, his hands sliding up to cradle my face. The kiss was gentle, tender in a way that still surprised me after all these months. His lips. brushed against mine like a promise.
When he pulled back, his thumbs traced my cheekbones.
“Are you ready to hear it all, cara? Every dark moment, every choice that led me here?”
I smiled and leaned in closer, my heart swelling with love for this complicated man who held my world in his hands. The same hands that could orchestrate destruction now traced delicate patterns on my skin, gentle as butterfly wings.
“Yes,” I whispered against his lips. “I’m always ready to hear your truth, Lorenzo.”
“Every piece of you, the light and the dark.”
