Chapter 46

The captain announced in Italian that we had reached cruising altitude and were free to roam about the cabin. Emiliano snapped his fingers at the small woman again and she was by his side before I could blink, awaiting his request. He demanded she bring him a whiskey neat.

“Is that a good idea,”

I half-whispered under my breath. Emiliano spun his head to me and asked in Italian,

“Cosa hai detto?”

*“What did you say?”*

I looked at him dead in the eye and asked loud and clear in his native tongue,

“Bere è una buona idea?”

*“Is drinking a good idea?”*

Emiliano’s eyes turned black with rage and I couldn’t have cared less. He didn’t scare me and I knew he was trying to. He looked into my eyes for a few moments and the murky darkness in his eyes cleared back to his natural honey brown. The stewardess brought Emiliano his drink and set it on the tray in front of him.

Emiliano kept his eyes on me while the stewardess finished her task and returned to her seat. His eyes full of water when he said,

“Hera,”

He was slow with his words, like he was coming to terms with what he was saying as he was saying it,

“I’m sorry,”

A tear fell from his left eye and he was quick to wipe it away. He sunk in his chair, trying to hide from the stewardess. Guess she can’t be afraid of the Don if she has seen him cry.

“I’m sorry I forced you out of your date,”

Emiliano grabbed my right hand and held it with both of his as he continued,

“I should’ve listened to you and Mario. I shouldn’t have sent you home from the boat. I should’ve made you mine that day.”

The hurricane inside me was starting to whip back and forth. The internal waves were rising and increasing with intensity.

I was trying not to cry. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I thought back to that traumatic day. When I confessed my love to Emiliano and he sent me away. All I have ever wanted for the last 5 years of my life, was to be Emiliano’s. I tried to hide my hysteria, but my voice cracked when I said,

“But you chose *her*.”

Emiliano didn’t stop the tears from escaping his eyes when he said,

“I’m so sorry, I panicked when I heard she was pregnant. I didn’t want you to go, but I had to figure out what was going on with my child.”

I could no longer contain the storm inside me, seeing Emiliano completely broken was too much for me. Tears streaked down my face as Emiliano explained through his sobs,

“She threatened me, Hera. Told me she would only keep the baby if I married her. I was completely gutted. I didn’t know what to do. So I gave in to her. I gave her everything she wanted.”

Emiliano took a few deep breaths to calm himself down enough to continue,

“When we returned from our honeymoon, I had to stop another transport of girls. When I got back, Anka was gone. None of her bodyguards knew where she was. I feared she was kidnapped again and my fears were confirmed when I received a call from the man who kidnapped her the first time.”

Emiliano’s eyes were red and swollen as he continued to cry. His breaths were shaky and he was distraught as he relived the trauma of the last few days. He sunk further into his chair and whispered,

“All he said was Anka was with him. I thought she must be scared, so I was going to rescue her. I gathered a few of my guys and we snuck into his compound. We took out all of his security and I found them.”

Emiliano’s sadness turned to anger as he explained,

“They were lying in bed, *cuddling*. I told Anka to come with me and I’d take her home but she said she loved her captor and she wanted to stay with him.”

His demeanor went from angry to dead inside and he reached for the drink in front of him and drank its contents all in one gulp. He kept his gaze on the empty glass when he said in a voice so low, I could barely hear him,

“I saw red, Hera. I couldn’t take it. She made me marry her, made me choose *her* and she chose *him*.”

Tears started pouring down his face as he continued,

“I decided that wasn’t going to happen. So I pulled out my gun and I shot him. But Anka jumped in the way to protect that piece of shit.”

I gasped and covered my mouth. Now I was sobbing. What a horrible thing to happen. I grabbed his hand and said,

“Emiliano, I am so sorry.”

I tugged the arm rest between us and it folded up, giving me room to hold Emiliano in my arms while he released his own hurricane onto my shoulder.

It was hard to see Emiliano completely broken like that. The moment felt intimate. He shared something really dark and heavy and trusted me enough to hold him and see him vulnerable. Maybe I wasn’t completely over him after all…

Emiliano calmed down enough to let me go. He straightened in his seat and kissed my hand. He stared at me and started to smile. I asked him,

“What’s that face for?”

He leaned in close and said,

“Hera, I don’t want to make the same mistake twice. Will you be my girl?”

I started to grow angry,

“You are still *married* Emiliano. I’m sorry, but no.”

Emiliano groaned and said,

“Weren’t you listening? My marriage is over. She wants another guy.”

“Oh, so because she’s out you’re just going to tag me in?”

I asked, heated. Emiliano looked hurt and I could tell he realized how inappropriate his question was. He thought for a moment and said,

“I’m not going to give up on you, Hera. I’m going to convince you to be with me.”

“By kidnapping me?”

Emiliano groaned again and asked,

“Hera, please. I’m sorry. I just really needed to see you.”

It was kind of sweet. He needed me so bad, he came and got me himself.