I hurry home. I'm a ball of emotions. Thoughts of my mother and Senator Norwood run through my head. I've tried to avoid anything to do with Norwood. He knows who I am. He tried to get custody of me after my mother died, but luckily she had a will that made it so I went with my aunt and uncle.I sometimes have nightmares of what would have happened to me if I'd lived with him instead. I probably wouldn't be alive.I need to eat. Food always makes me feel better. I call Sara, wanting to see her. She always knows how to make me feel better.“Hello?” I hear a groggy voice on the other end of the phone.“Sara? Are you okay?” I ask.“Yeah, yeah, just a little hungover. What's up?”It isn't like Sara to drink with a client, even on a Saturday night. “Well, I got a crazy story to tell about Delgado, but it sounds like you've got a story to tell also. Want some pie?”I'm not really hungry, but I want the company.“Yeah, I could use some food.”***Just like the other day, I beat Sara down to

My smile fades. I know that the moment we just had wasn't necessarily a sign that he forgave me, but I hope he has anyway. I quickly walk over to the piano, taking a seat at the piano bench. He follows, then stops and crosses his arms with out sitting.“I'm sorry I reacted the way I did at the hotel,” he says after a moment. “I thought it was a prank. I told my brother Frank that I'd met someone that had me reconsidering marrying the Savio family. It would be like him to put you there just to watch me squirm.”“I should have told you,” I tell him. “I just didn't know how. It wasn't fair to surprise you.”“It would have been a nice surprise if I hadn't told Frank,” Dante admits with a small smile.“ I've never met a woman like you. You make me feel things..."His words take my breath away. I can hardly speak, but I manage to whisper, "I've never met a man like you either."Dante puts one knee on the ground, taking my hands in his.“So, you want to get married?” he asks me. “I don't have

I have the taxi driver drop me off a few blocks from my house, knowing that I need the time to think things over. The cold, crisp air outside feels good against my hot cheeks. It smells like it might snow later and I secretly hope for a blizzard. A physical cage of snow sounds better than the threatened cage Victoria Russo has just put me in.At least if there was a blizzard, I could spend the time going through my apartment searching and removing the recording devices that were probably hidden in my apartment. That was the only way she could have known that Dante had left or was even there in the first place. She would certainly have the motive and the funds to do so.I kick an empty can down the sidewalk, listening to it plink and ping against the frozen concrete. There's the steady hum of traffic beside me and the cold wind of winter whistling through the buildings. I take a deep breath, focusing on how the cold feels in my lungs. I'm only wearing the skirt and blouse, but I'm hot

"Where exactly are we going?" I ask two days later, peering out from the limousine window. My breath is fogging the icy glass and making it hard to see."I told you, it's a surprise," Dante answers nonchalantly, leaning back in his leather seat. His white button-up shirt is open at the collar and I am strongly considering opening it further. The backseat of a limo has plenty of room and privacy for where I want this date to go. He shakes his head slowly, his brown eyes knowing exactly what I am planning. I have to wait.I slump back in my own seat and cross my arms. I know I look like a irritable, spoiled brat. Dante rolls his eyes, but a sliver of a grin cracks his face. I can tell at least he is considering my idea."We're here," he says as the car pulls to a stop. "Behave and later we can play."The way he says the word play sends a small shiver down my spine. I like it when we play.The door to the limo opens and the driver helps me out. I leave my coat in the car and my breath ca

After breakfast, I wander around the city for a little while, looking at shops and doing my best not to think. The Christmas decorations are out on display and it's easy to lose myself to the green and red of the season. I don't buy anything. I'm a ghost just floating through the city, trying to figure out what to do next.I head home once I'm cold and tired. My bed welcomes me with open arms and the promise of release from my thoughts. When I lay my head down on the pillow, I smell Dante. He had just been here two days ago, and his scent still lingers all over the place. I smile as I snuggle into the pillow, imagining his hard body is what I'm holding onto.My dreams are terrible, as they often are. Dreams of my mother, dreams of the car accident, dreams of the worst futures I can imagine for myself.I wake up at what seems like dawn to my phone ringing. I answer it with sleep still in my voice. "Hello?""Cara." It was Mrs. Russo's horrible voice."Can I help you?" I ask, ready to ju