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Had he lost Pia?

He shot up from his seat, his nerves shot to hell for the first time in his life “Where is she?”

“In her bedroom I’m sure her nap is done”

And since when the hell had Pia needed to nap in the afternoon? The wo friends or learning Italian

He was already at the foot of the steps when Gio’s words stopped hiive Do not get angry Do not let your ego get in the way”

Gio’s warning ringing in his ears, Raphael took three stairs at a time, pushed open the door to Pia’s bedroom and strode in

She was standing leaning against the wall, looking out into the balcony and turned immediately when he closed the door behind him with a soft thud

And paled when her sleep-aze found him

So was different about her, he would have known even without Gio’s cryptic warnings

She seemed to have shrunk three sizes in just a feeeks Not that she had in with Her hair was piled in that knot tightly over the top of her head and it pulled her skin tighter over her features

Dio mio, she looked as if a hard breeze could blow her over

Had he done this to her?

“Christo, Pia, what the hell have you done to yourself?”

He rushed to her, desperate for action, desperate to set things to rights

But she moved back from him, her chin stubbornly tilted Her eous brown eyes reflected her emotions “I would appreciate it if you didn’t talk to me as if I were an imbecile Or better, please leave, if that’s all you have to say”

He couldn’t bear to have her look at him like that

Couldn’t bear the idea of so with her Nausea filled his throat “Are you ill?” The thought of so this to her threatened to take him out at the knees