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If looks could kill, by now he should've been dead flat on the floor, face-first and choking on his own blood.
Veronica stared at the guy sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her with a frown, his dark brows furrowing at her weak attempt to seem totally unemotional at the moment.
Despite the worsening pain, embarrassment, and compounding anxiety making her chest hurt like a bitch, she had to put on a straight face.
At this point, her pride and what little self-respect she had left just forced her to show him anything but weakness.
1. She had already made the effort. "Efforts" to be exact.
2. She had swallowed her damn pride more than twice and flew all the way out here for him. Just for him.3. She also used work as an excuse just to see him and talk to him again because he'd been avoiding her like the darn× WARNING! ×× GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW NOT INTENDED FOR YOUNG READERS ×× READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION ו7 days left• Rome, Italy •"No."Just no. Not even a second of hesitation. He answered her question before she could even brace herself for what he had to say.Of course he would say no. It was obvious he wanted to sleep with her again, so of course he would tell her what she wanted to hear."You still want me?" Veronica held in a sigh and let him kiss her neck, the exposed skin above her collarbone, and then her lips again. Despite her misgivings, she couldn't push him off of her; she just couldn't find it in her to stop him.It would be plain hypocrisy if she said she didn't want his affection, or that she wanted him to sto
× WARNING! × × GRAPHIC CONTENT NOT INTENDED FOR YOUNG READERS × × READ AT YOUR OWN RISK × • It might have been half an hour ago when she stepped into the bathroom to wash up. She had to get rid of the unmistakable smell of sex and his familiar scent that was stuck on her skin. To her surprise, Théo followed her inside the bathroom to check on her. Maybe to make sure she wasn't going to throw up again or anything. A mild frown made his lips pout as he stood by the sink, his muscular arms partly covered by his shirt. Although she was still having a hard time moving on from the total mess that just happened back on the bed, Veronica let him linger while she washed up in the tub with her feet bare and her hair in a loose bun. She had to crumple the hem of her thin dress below her navel while she watched the faucet run. When s
7 days left• Rome, Italy •It was probably still dawn, but when a faint buzzing noise beside his head drew him out of his much-needed sleep, Théo quickly sat up on the bed.Hotel room. With his tired ex still asleep beside him. Not even sunrise yet.He rubbed his eyes for a second and recalled the tasks on his to-do list, despite the groggy haze his brain was still fighting off. He glanced to his side.Veronica snuggled to her pillow, her breathing light and steady, the thick covers hiding her slender and lithe body from the waist down.With caution and care, he pulled the covers
7 days left• Rome, Italy •It wasn't supposed to be Raffaele. The agency didn't say that the son was the target. Well, the guy was one of the subjects of interest, but Théo certainly recalled he wasn't tasked to dig up dirt on Raffaele Valtieri that would put the guy in jail or prison.He wasn't supposed to focus on Raffaele, but now he felt absolutely triggered to find enough incriminating evidence to rattle the jerk's cages.Although his mission objectives didn't say he should focus on Raffaele Valtieri and temprorarily put the magnifying glass away from Hugo, the patriarch, Théo now felt compelled to keep investigating into Raffaele's recent affairs. He had to gather evidence to prove that the Valtieri heir wasn't the squeaky-clean golden boy or the overachieving firstborn his family portrayed him to be.His gut feeling wasn't enough. Gillaume's bosses didn't care fo
•It shouldn't be easy.After all that happened, she shouldn't expect everything to turn out okay overnight. Relationships were never that easy. They both knew they weren't going to solve their pre-existing issues just by sleeping together again.Nothing but unrealistic optimism would be a good enough band-aid solution for now. It wasn't even a solution...more like, a temporary distraction from the harsh truths of their situation. She just had to look forward, like her mother always said.Veronica sighed to herself. She had the answers to her questions, so now she had to go back to her normal routine: make music with the band, play music, tour around the world to earn a living while trying to deal with her personal life, and then repeat.Whatever Théo had to in the coming days and weeks and months...she had no control over it. The way she saw it now
• Rome, Italy •Her attempt at humor didn't make him laugh or crack a half-meant grin. Not even for a split-second.Even after they'd had breakfast thanks to room service, Veronica could tell his mood hadn't shifted for the better. She was merely poking fun at his drab behavior earlier, but, it seemed her ex took it as an insult or something.Maybe he now thought it was her way of telling him what happened the previous night was nothing but another mindless one-night stand. It kinda was, but...she definitely didn't feel like what they shared was just a night of plain stupidity and senseless sex.She particularly felt last night was more than that when he brought it up half an hour ago, and then apologized for having been "too rough" again in bed. It wasn't entirely accurate, but she appreciated his honesty and apology.Strange that he was acting like it was the first time they'd had sex...instead
•In a coma? Brain aneurysm?What the heck? After all that time Kyle had spent in recovery, now he was back in the hospital again and in a comatose state?After she called their manager, her biggest fears were confirmed once again. Now a part of her chest wouldn't stop aching, and she even felt like throwing up.But they had to keep going. She seriously had to get to the airport now. She wanted to get back to New York before something worse happened to Kyle. Veronica kept repeating the pleading prayers in her head, desperate to hear better news in the next couple of hours.She wouldn't get the definite details unless she was physically there at the hospital, talking to Kyle's doctors again. So, she really had to hop on a flight back home now. Before the worst happened.Dear God... Why...She wou
•A concrete barrier.Gray, thick, solid, and almost murderous.For about a second or two, she imagined it would be the end. Their untimely demise. How their life stories would be written off...It took her breath away, seeing it all happen before their eyes. She just didn't think a boring stretch of cement would almost end her and her baby's life today—instead of the loaded gun she held the first minute she'd woken up.Nor did she imagine she would get into a car accident with Théo behind the wheel...and in a foreign country, at that. He never drove recklessly. Never.This morning, though, he was just distracted all throughout, acting oddly rattled by something and the mere sight of that SUV tailing them eventually became too much for him to handle.Veronica exhaled a delayed sigh of relief amid the numbing shock. Her unease doubled as she