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Mari heard Luca speaking into the telephone His eyes re the hair that had coht His voice ca ht now You’ll have to take care of it I’ll call you tomorrow”

He hung up the phone and ca her hands in his “I’m sorry about that”

She was still trying to absorb the fact that he’d put off whoever it was to look after her “If you need to go, it’s fine I’ll be okay”

“You’re not okay And it can wait Right now looking after you is my priority”

Never, not once in her life had anyone said those words to her Never had anyone put her first But Luca—driven, workaholic Luca—had just put off whoever had been on the other end of that call She licked her lips, unsure of where to start

“Today I forgot all the things I learned fro and only felt the fear, the responsibility If only I’d done so differently it wouldn’t have happened I…” She sed, having difficulty going on “Oh, Luca, I thought I was far beyond that I worked so hard and all of a sudden it was like no tilad to see you”

“He put his hands on you I couldn’t allow that” He lifted his other hand and grazed her cheek with his fingers

“In that o That day…” Her voice faded away for a moment It was all in the police report It was in herBut she’d never willingly offered it to someone who hadn’t been paid to hear it

“What happened that day, Mariella?”

His voice encouraged her, invited her After all he’d done, telling hiical, if difficult step

“I had moved out, and felt torn because on one hand I had left my mum behind On the other I ay and safe Mu him” Mari realized her eyes were bone-dry; sheso relieved, so happy that her ht thata relationship “I said I’d coht her packing her bags and when I found her she was bleeding, unconscious on the floor, with a broken arm and a cracked skull Her clothes were strewn everywhere, slashed to ribbons”

“Dio Mio” Luca’s low exclamation drew her out of the memory