𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐓- 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐘𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐖𝐎 - 𝟏𝟖+

CHAPTER SIX

A N D R E A

For someone who'd only gotten out of a coma ten days ago, Lorenzo was doing considerably better, not that I thought he'd take long to recover. He'd also bonded with the twins over the last week, and each time he smiled at Tori or Riccardo, my heart swelled inside my chest with a flicker of happiness that I was positive would elude me for the rest of my life. He never looked at me with more than a vacant gleam in his eyes. Of course, that vacancy became smoldering embers the moment someone from his family entered the room.

Vittoria had just taken the twins for the night. After a few days of them staying with me and Lorenzo in his hospital room, she'd offered to take them at night since a hospital was no place for babies, and I'd agreed. It was also a relief that they'd gotten attached to Lorenzo's family and didn't mind being held by one of them anymore. I sighed, closed the book I'd been reading, and allowed my gaze to roam around the room. The screen of my new iPhone lit up, and I picked it up to see it was Alex.

Swiping, I opened the messaging app and read her text,

You hanging in there?

She'd taken to texting me at night, sometimes, it was a funny meme she came across or just a dress she'd liked. Other times she'd text me to check up on me, and I didn't think how much I was grateful for her friendship, even if I'd done my best to ruin it.

Yeah. Doesn't Creed mind you being on your phone at this time?

I attached a winky face emoji to hit my message home, and immediately the phone pinged with her message. Before reading her new text, I turned the ringer off and focused on the words she'd written,

That's a shitty way to deflect, and Creed's in the shower.

I smiled, almost imagining her eyes rolling, and sighed at her perceptiveness. She was too intelligent for me to hide anything from her, or maybe it was because she knew Lorenzo.

I didn't deflect. I'll be okay.

If you say so.

Her reply came almost instant, and this time, I didn't reply and placed the phone on its screen on the table. I'd been sleeping on a couch in Lorenzo's room, waking up at dawn just so Vittoria wouldn't come in and see me sleep away from my husband. My lips turned down at the thought of the man who barely gave me a second look these days. My eyes darted to his sleeping form, an arm draped over his eyes as the other one rested on his abdomen. The blanket barely covered his stomach, leaving entirely too much skin for me to ogle.

He'd trimmed his beard the other day, but he hadn't gotten rid of it entirely, joking with Alessio that now that he was a father he had to look the part. I smiled at the memory of the brothers playing cards, Roberto claiming they'd cheated and showing his hand in his tantrum. Alex and I were supposed to be shopping when this was happening, but we'd finished early, and she had business to take care of so she'd rushed off after dropping me. My heart clenched inside my chest as my eyes veered downwards on his body. His abs weren't toned anymore, and even then he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.

Unable to help myself, I uncurled my legs from under me, and padded barefoot on the tiled floor, my shawl in my hands. Dropping on the couch beside his bed, I let my fingers brush his palm, and when he didn't respond, my touch became less hesitant. My eyes went to his ring finger where he was donning our wedding ring, and then my eyes came back to my empty finger, a lone tear leaving my eye. Perhaps this was the perfect representation of our marriage. Our marriage was a convenience, it was a deliberate facade masterminded by Lorenzo to get rid of my father, and then he'd stayed with me out of duty. I wiped my eyes with my free hand and touched the white-gold band. Exhaling, I leaned down and brushed my lips against Lorenzo's wrist before holding his hand in mine.