They should never have met.
Each one of them lived in different parts of the world. She lived in the light, an ordinary existence while he kept to the shadows, the underworld.
But one fate encounter brought them together and no matter how hard the...
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Stella
Sighing I reached over to pick up another cannoli shell and slipped it into dip. I have been trying to sleep for hours and even in the warmth of Maximus's arm I couldn't find it.
We have been staying at the estate all week since Nanna's death, mostly because Max was working and also because I didn't want to go to his place where it felt empty.
"You should be careful." I jumped looking over to see Romano walking into the kitchen. "Anastasia can be territorial over what can be eaten and what shouldn't be."
Smiling softly, I turned the container with the cannoli dip around to show Romano the sticky with my name on it. "Looks like I got permission. When did you get back from the work trip?"
Romano grabbed an apple and sat down in front of me at the table. "Just now."
Glancing at the clock I gaped at him. "It's two in the morning."
He shrugged taking a bite of his apple "Night Owl. What's your excuse?"
It was my turn to shrug as I mixed the dip with a shell. "Couldn't sleep."
"I am sorry about your Nanna, sounded like she was a nice woman." He stated making me sigh.
Nodding I took a bite of food. "She is or was."
He tilted his head looking me over, that usual cold vibe gone but his face still was its signature blank. "You are taking it better than I thought you would."
Running my hand through my hair I nodded, my hand going to hold onto Max's ring that was always dangling around my neck. "I want to scream. God, all I want to do is go onto a hill and scream till I can't breathe anymore. She was the one constant in my life, I wouldn't be who I am without her."
Romano tilted his head "Then why don't you?"
I leaned into my chair. "Because what's the point? I could hate the world that she was taken from me before she met her great grandchildren. Before she saw me marry Maximus. Or I could focus on how the last years of her life was what she wanted. She got to travel, see the store was going to be fine without her and see me with someone I will spend the rest of my life with. So that's what I am doing, remembering that she died on her terms."
The room went quiet, the only sound was the hum coming from the house. Romano sighed putting his apple down. "I don't know if I could think that way."
Chuckling I pick up another cannoli and covered it with dip. "It takes years of being told your worthless to learn how to see the good of any situation. Trust me there was a 'I hate everything' time in my life, but Nanna helped me learn to see the world in a different way."
His lip quirked. "The grand theft auto?"
I rolled my eyes. "Pretty much. You have a spiral time in your life?"
