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But it’s too late He definitely saw me

Oh, God Why did I have to look?

Harper

“Marcello … it seems we have company,” Mario says

He means me

Oh, God

I closelike I want to shrivel up and die Especially when I hear the click-clacking of footsteps that definitely don’t belong to him

When aze

My lips part, but all I can do is stuh my words “I-I’m sorry about your mother” When he doesn’t say a word, I add, “I didn’t mean to—”

“Yes, you did,” he says, planting a hand on the pillar right besidethere?”

I s “Not that long …”

“But long enough to hear Mario and lances over to the room where Mario must still be

“I didn’t knoas your father” The words slip out of my mouth before I realize it, and I iain “I’m sorry, I didn’t knoas a secret”

“It’s not,” he growls, and then he looks right at me “And I’ on us”

With a single finger, he reaches for rasps a strand ofit behind my ear

“You don’t need to snoop If you want to know soive if only you would ask”

His strokes are so soft that it moves me and takes my breath away He looks at me with such intensity that it’s hard to look away But then I re to me was the sole reason I ran away

So I turn my head away from the palm of his hand “You expect me to be honest with you, yet you won’t do the same for me”

He frowns “What do you mean?”

“Why else do you think I ran away?” I say “You lied toyou could”

“I didn’t lie I ohtened jaw

“That’s the sa,” I scoff “You kneho I was, and you chose not to tell me”