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CHAPTER 23
The next morning, Ava was helping Christian with his breakfast, when Federico came in. She looked up, knowing her cheeks were glowing from all the intimacy they had shared during the night before she had slipped back to her own room in the early hours of the morning while he had been sleeping. He met her gaze for a pulsing moment before turning to the little boy.
“Good morning, Christian,” Federico said, taking the chair beside him. “Did you sleep well, little man?”
Smiling shyly when Federico called him that, Christian put his spoon down politely.
“Yes. I could hear the sea. Mummy said I might be able to go to the beach and build a sandcastle.”
“I believe that your Mummy is absolutely right. I too think that would be a very good idea. But first…Can we have a little talk? I would like to talk to you
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Federico’s cellphone started to ring and he took it out from his pocket and glanced at the display. “I’m afraid I’ll have to take this call,” he said. “Can you find your way to my study? I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.” Ava gave a nod and slipped out of the room while Federico took the call, keeping his voice low as he spoke to Francesco. She heard him saying something about searches of the Royal Star diamond and that there was nothing leaked to the press about Christian. In the papers, there were some photographs of the party and a short piece about Christian’s role as royal patron, but thankfully nothing else, so far. Ava took the scrapbooks she had made and after a few wrong turns made her way to his study. She stood outside for a moment, holding the books against her chest, trying t
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The words tumbled out and once they had started, Ava couldn’t seem to stop.“He broke my arm when I was four years old. On the way to the hospital, he told me if I said a word to anyone about how it had happened, he would do much worse. He told me to tell everyone I was jumping in bed and fell on the ground. I was so frightened… It wasn’t the first time he had hit me, far from it. He was always hitting me, in my stomach, or my back… Because he didn’t want people to see the bruises… But after that, he toned it down a bit. It wouldn’t do to have anyone pointing their finger at him, now, would it? He was a high-profile man who made a great show of how much he loved his difficult, rebel daughter.” Federico kept on stroking her cold, lifeless hands.“Oh, Ava,” was all he could manage to say.
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Ava spent the next few days watching Federico and Christian together, spending quality time like father and son should. It was so moving to see them together… Their dark heads bent close together over a puzzle or a book or a painting they had done, their smiles so similar. Christian was starting to blossom, his confidence growing as each day passed. He clearly adored his father and Federico made no effort to hide his very deep love for his son. She tried not to let it concern her but Federico hadn’t asked her to sleep with him again. She didn’t know if be happy about it or extremely sad… Was he trying to distance himself from her? It was so hard to tell. When Christian was around, Federico was happy and smiling and chatted with her as an
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“I will get justice for you, Ava,” he said, pulling her closer. “I promise I will leave no stone unturned until I do.”“It’s okay, Federico… You've tried and it didn’t work… For me it’s enough you believe in my innocence…”“Ava…” She was standing too close to him to be able to ignore the pulse of his body. The thin layer of her clothes that shielded her form, couldn’t possibly disguise her own response to his nearness. She ran her tongue over the dryness of her lips. Her breathing going out of time, her heart tripping as his head slowly came down… The press of his lips against hers was gentle at first, but as soon as he stroked his tongue across the seam of her lips, everything changed. Passion flared like a combustible fuel exposed to a ligh
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She looked at him as if she was going to say no, but then Ava gave him a smile tinged with sadness.“I guess we should make the most of the time we have left… So… Yes, Federico… Yes…” Federico didn’t want to think about how each day was slipping through his fingers like fine grains of sand. All he could hope for was a few more days to keep Chris and Ava close while he sorted through his options. Everything had happened so quickly and he was still coming to terms with it all. Not just his son’s existence but how his feelings for Ava were rising up to the surface after years of being shoved down. He led her upstairs to his bedroom, closing the door softly behind them. She took a few steps in and set down
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“Daddy says I can have a real paint set and brushes and a… a… weasel all to myself!” Christian announced proudly as he came running towards Ava one morning, four days later.“It’s called an easel, baby,” Ava corrected him as she bent down to kiss his forehead. “A weasel is a small furry animal.”“Oh…” Christian went on excitedly. “I’ve got a new tip truck and a kite Daddy and I are going to use on the beach and Daddy promised me I can have a camera all of my own when I am six.” Ava forced a smile in spite of her inner turmoil. How could she tell Chris this little holiday was soon to end? She had no doubt Federico would continue contact with his son. He had made that very clear every night they had spent together. In such a short time, Federico had establis
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His dark eyes meshed with hers.“Have you ever had an item of clothing in your wardrobe you don’t wear anymore but still don’t feel quite ready to discard it?” She gave him an ironic look.“I’m sure you aren’t the one in your household to sort through your socks and underwear drawer. You have numerous servants who do that for you.” His smile was a little crooked.“Yes… Perhaps you’re right. There aren’t many things I do for myself these days.”“Including choosing a wife?” Ava wished she hadn’t let it slip out since she was sure she sounded as jealous as she felt. Federico held her gaze for an interminable moment.“As future King,
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The next morning, Ava was overwhelmed by the press on her way to the ferry with Chris. Her son was already in tears, not quite understanding what was going on. Federico had spent some time with him earlier, but he had left before Ava could see him one last time. The nanny had said he had been called away to something urgent at the palace, but Ava had wondered if the old woman had been told to say that so Federico could avoid saying goodbye.“But I don’t want to leave Daddy,” Chris wailed as she tugged him along the gangplank to board the passenger ferry.“Sweetie, it’s just not possible to stay here,” Ava told her son, fighting back tears of her own at some of the vicious insults still being thrown at her from the wharf. Ava kept her head down as she showed
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