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How lost had he been to slap a price on his heart?

She had been right about everything

He had given her everything except himself

And the worown into these past couple ofless than all of him

Hebecause suddenly the conference room was empty around him

Picking up his cell, he made a call, his heart in his throat

His voice muddled in sleep, Rocco answered “Stefan?”

“Where is she, Rocco?” he said without preamble

His oldest friend understood immediately “In New York”

“I know that But not where I know that Olivia knows I know that Clio went to her I need to see her, Rocco Now”

After what seehed “I’m sorry, Stefan Believe it or not, my stubborn wife hasn’t told even me where Clio is”

“She is your damn wife, why the hell not?”

“Because she takes standing by her friends seriously If you want to knohere Clio is, you have to ask Liv Stefantake care, fratello”

Stefan barely heard Rocco’s warning In two minutes he instructed his pilot to fuel the jet, ordered his secretary to cancel everything indefinitely

Nothing in his life had anywithout her

He needed his wife, his friend, his lover back He needed the woain, ain that he couldn’t breathe for the ache of it And he would beg if that’s what it took to bring her back into his life

As Clio stared at Stefan, standing at Olivia’s friend’s doorstep, his face haggard and covered in stubble, his thick hair rumpled, his collar askew, her entire world tilted and shook Her gut folded on itself, her breath balling up in her throat

She pulled the edges of the threadbare cardigan together defensively as his perusal, hungry and invasive, continued