Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
“I need to make a quick phone call,” I tell her.
“Okay.” She sinks into the pillow with a sigh.
“When you’re feeling better, cara.” I level her with a dark look. “I’ll fuck you so thoroughly you’ll never want to leave this bed.”
She bites her lip and nods, watching me as I walk to the window that faces the forest. Andrew’s been rescheduling my meetings for today and tomorrow, but I’ll use the time that Abella’s with Mariella on Friday to handle the most pressing concerns.
When I dial Andrew, he provides a brief report on what needs my attention and what can wait. I haven’t told Abella yet, but she chose well when she hired him. He’s efficient and reliable, and unlike Genevieve, he can actually keep things running smoothly while I’m away.
As I end the call, a flicker of movement in the thicket of trees catches my attention. For a second, I think I must be imagining it, so I open up the balcony door and step outside. Sure enough, he’s there—the black stag staring back at me.
In all my years on the island, I’ve never actually believed in his existence. As boys, we used to tease the girls when they begged us to venture into the woods, searching for the legendary beast. My nonno used to tell us tales about the mysterious creature who roamed the island for far longer than any mortal stag could live. He told us that, according to the local legend, the black stag was known as the guardian of secrets. It was widely believed that the stag would only reveal itself to those who sought the truth, or those about to be ruined by it.
I always thought my nonno was a little bit crazy, and my father denied ever seeing the stag himself. But there’s no denying what I’m looking at now, even if I can’t explain it.
I’ve explored every inch of this island many times over, as have my brothers, and none of us have ever seen him before.
An unsettling feeling burrows beneath my ribcage as I lock eyes with the beast. He turns and raises his head high, muscles rippling beneath his dark coat. With one final glance at me, he stamps the ground and disappears back into the trees from which he came.
“What is it?” Abella calls out.
“Nothing…” I walk back into the room, shaking my head. “It was nothing.”
44
ABELLA
By Friday, I’m feeling much better—at least until it’s time to leave the island with Mariella. I go along with the appointment, even though I know it won’t change anything. In my heart, I already know what I have to do. I just need to find the courage to execute my decision.
We spend the afternoon in the city, starting with a quick physical at Mariella’s office. She explains that she wants to run an extensive panel of bloodwork to check my hormones, including a pregnancy test, as part of the baseline. I agree, but she can feel the shift in me when I hear those two words. She hasn’t said so, but I know she’s still holding out hope.
As for myself, hope abandoned me long ago.
After the labs are drawn, she sends me to an imaging center for an ultrasound, explaining it might be a few days before she gets the results. When it’s all over, she takes me to lunch, and we board the water taxi back to the island.
On our return trip, we sit together and enjoy the last of the afternoon sunshine, each of us lost in our own thoughts. When Mariella finally does speak, it’s impossible to miss the edge of raw emotion in her voice.
“I could talk to Ares.”
When I glance at her, she’s staring out over the water, the barest strain of tension in her features. She’s trying to act like it’s not a big deal, but it is. Ares and Mariella have a complicated history that her brothers don’t know about. He screwed up and lost the best thing he ever could have had. Now he has to live with that regret for the rest of his life.
Mariella isn’t the kind of woman who will let someone play with her feelings. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt her. I’m not certain of everything that happened between her and Ares, but I understand the sacrifice she’d be making. She would set her pain aside to help me because that’s the kind of woman she is.
I reach over and squeeze her hand. “I love you. You know that?”
“I love you too.” She forces a smile.
“But Ares isn’t the problem.”
“I know.” She nods, choking back her emotion. “It’s just…you haven't seen the way Angelo looks at you when you're not paying attention, Abella. He’s in love with you.”
I squeeze my eyes shut to keep my tears from falling. I told myself I wouldn’t cry anymore. I’ve done enough of that already.