Se connecterChapter 272ElowenWe spent the next two days making plans to return home. Caroline and Damien had already left the day before, promising to visit us in Italy soon. Our flight was booked for the following morning.I was packing the last of my things when my phone rang.Unknown number.My heart jumped into my throat as I answered. "Hello?""Elowen." Anna's voice. Shaky but determined. "It's me."I sank onto the edge of the bed. "Anna. I... I wasn't sure you'd call.""I almost didn't." A pause. "I've spent the last week trying to talk myself out of it. Telling myself it's too late, that they're too powerful, that nothing good can come from dredging up the past.""But?""But I can't stop thinking about what you said. About how someone should have fought for me years ago. About how you're going to make sure they pay." Her voice cracked. "I want that. I want them to pay. I'm ready to fight."Relief and something fiercer flooded through me. "Okay. Good. That's... that's good.""But I have
Chapter 271ElowenThey all stared at me in confusion."What?" Caroline asked gently. "El, are you sure you're okay?""I'm serious," I said, my voice gaining strength. "I want to open a foundation that assists women who were raped and can't fight for themselves. Women like Anna who don't have the resources or the support or the belief that justice is possible." I looked at each of them. "And if possible, I want to include support for children whose parents didn't want them. Kids who grew up like I did, wondering where they came from and why they were left behind."Caroline reached for my hand. "El, that's... that's beautiful. But maybe you should sit down first. Think about this when you're not so emotionally overwhelmed. You've just been through...""No," I interrupted, shaking my head firmly. "I don't need to think about it. This is what I want. I'm not going to change my mind."I looked at Matteo and Kian. "This is what I want to do with my life. This is what I want to build. Not
Chapter 270Elowen But I squeezed both their hands as a silent message of, 'I've got this'.They understood immediately and settled back, though I could feel the anger radiating off them.I looked at Anna, at the woman who'd given birth to me but had never been my mother. Who'd carried her trauma for years and let it define everything she was."I am sorry," I said clearly, "for what happened to you. I am genuinely, deeply sorry that you were raped. That those men violated you. That they took your choice and your innocence and your safety. What they did was evil and unforgivable." Her expression softened slightly."But," I continued, my voice hardening, "my child has nothing to do with what happened to you. Do not bring my baby into this. Do not project your trauma onto my family.""Your family?" she scoffed. "Is that what you call this? Two men and a woman playing house?""Yes," I said firmly. "That's exactly what I call it. Because these two men chose me. They love me. They want thi
Chapter 269ElowenAnna's hands trembled as she folded them on the table, her knuckles white with tension."I was nineteen," she began, her voice flat, like she'd rehearsed this a thousand times in her head but never spoke it aloud. ""I worked as a housemaid for the Ashton family. It was a wealthy estate in the Cotswolds, just outside of London. Beautiful house but ugly people." She paused, reaching for the water glass in front of her with shaking hands.I wanted to ask how she then gave birth to me in US, how I was found outside the orphanage there?This was the reason it took a while to find her, she actually didn't want to be found.I sat, preparing myself for whatever was to come next."The family had a son, his name was James. He was twenty-two years old, spoilt and entitled brat. He was the kind of boy who'd never been told no in his entire life." Her jaw clenched. "One day, his parents went to Paris for the weekend in December. I was left alone to maintain the house. I though
Chapter 268ElowenMy breathing hitched and my vision almost started blurring but I didn't let it show on my face.I kept reminding myself I had two men and a child that loves me.Anna's eyes were cold, distant, like she'd already retreated somewhere I couldn't reach."Not here," she said abruptly, her voice dropping. "I won't be responsible for a scene. If you truly want to know what happened, if you want the full truth..." Her eyes dropped to my rounded belly. "Then come back with whoever's responsible for that."My hands instinctively moved to protect my stomach."I will" I nodded and agreed quietly. She raised a brow before replying."Good." She pulled out her phone, typed something, then looked back at me. "There's a restaurant. Trattoria del Corso. Two streets from here. Meet me there in three days. Six o'clock.""Why three days?""Because I need time to prepare myself for this conversation. And so do you." She turned toward the door, then stopped. "If you don't show up, I'll co
Chapter 267ElowenDr. Ferraro cleared me for travel with strict conditions.No stress. Frequent breaks. Someone with me at all times. First-class flights with extra legroom. Compression socks. Hydration. The list went on.Caroline flew to Rome first, arriving two days before we did. She texted me updates, she'd found a hotel near the university where Anna worked. She'd seen the woman from a distance. She'd cried for an hour because the resemblance was undeniable.El, she's you. She's literally you thirty years from now. Whatever happens, you need to prepare yourself.Matteo, Kian, and I flew out on a Thursday.Giuliana stayed with Alessandro and Margaret, who'd grown into the kind of family friend who didn't need an explanation, just a "we'll be back in a few days" and a hug.The flight was long. I slept fitfully, my head on Matteo's shoulder while Kian held my hand across the armrest.When we landed in Rome, Caroline was waiting.She hugged me so tight I could barely breathe."Are
Chapter 83Elowen"I've spent a lot of time in Italy," Kian said with a shrug. "For work initially but then I just kept coming back because I love it here, the history and the culture and the way people approach life differently than they do back home.""You could have been a tour guide," I said wi
Chapter 79Kian But when had I ever kept promises to myself where she was concerned?When had I ever been able to resist her when she was this close and looking at me like that?Elowen was like a drug I couldn't quit, an addiction I'd tried to break a dozen times without success.And here I was ag
Chapter 85Elowen"Then we'll eat what we want and leave the rest," Kian said with a shrug. "Sit, have coffee, tell me how you slept."I settled into the chair across from him and accepted the coffee he poured, watching him add cream and sugar without asking because somehow he'd already memorized h
Chapter 70Elowen I remembered being eighteen and aging out exactly as predicted, standing outside the final group home with a garbage bag full of my possessions and nowhere to go, no family to call, no safety net to catch me if I fell, just me and the world and the crushing weight of unwantedness







