Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 468(@250wpm)___ 390(@300wpm)
He straightens, plucking a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe sweat off his face.
“Papa,” I call, out of breath.
“Bella.” He looks so shocked, and I can’t help it. I run right up to him but stop before I can throw my arms around him. I want to. One of these days, I’m going to hug him whether he likes it or not. “You’re here.”
“I fought the Vesuvios. Hand-to-hand combat. I won,” I say in a rush.
His eyes widen.
“It’s all fine. Dominus wants war, but his forces are decimated. If he tries anything, Fraternitas can defeat him. Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because I’m getting married. To Kaiser. Because I want to. And I want Mom’s ring.” I bite my lip, afraid to ask. “Please say you have it. Please say you didn’t throw it away.”
He looks like I’ve struck him. Then, slowly, he reaches into his shirt and draws out a long chain. At the end are two plain gold bands. His and hers.
“You have them both,” I say. “I thought…” I stop before I say I thought you didn’t want them anymore. But obviously, he held onto them. He’s been wearing them on a chain around his neck.
He undoes the chain and starts sliding the smaller ring off. He pauses a moment when it’s free. I get the sense that he’s reluctant to let go.
All this time, I thought he wanted to forget my mother, but her wedding ring has rested next to his heart since he took it off.
“Wait,” I say. “You can keep it—”
“No,” Papa says softly. He’s so quiet, but there’s a load of emotion in his voice if I listen closely. “She would’ve wanted you to have it.” He holds out my mother’s ring and places it onto my upturned palm. I close my fingers around it, and a tremor runs through me. I slip it into my pocket.
“So you’re getting married.”
“Yes. It’s my choice this time.” Kaiser made sure of that. I realize now that my dad was terrified of my supervillain tendencies. He did everything he could to get me under control, and when that didn’t work, he made sure Fraternitas would protect me.
He did it out of love. As fucked up as that is.
Feeling bolder, I say, “I want you to walk me down the aisle. It’s a private ceremony, but no one has to know you’re still alive. You can wear a mask—except that Fraternitas kind of already knows you’re alive…” I’m about to apologize for telling his secret when he responds.
“I don’t know if I deserve that.”
The sadness in his voice rocks me back on my heels.
“You don’t. But I forgive you. And I want you by my side.” I take a deep breath and say the magic words. “It’s what Mom would’ve wanted.”
Papa hangs his head. I’ve never seen him cry. Not in all those horrible years after. But tears run down his face now.
Mine too.
My arms ache to reach out and hug him, but I just sniffle and say, “I want you in my life, Papa. I know it’s hard for you. I’m not the daughter you want me to be—”
“No, no. You’re everything. Everything she wanted. Everything she hoped for. I look at you and I see…”
Her. He looks at me and sees Mom. No wonder it was hard for him to be around me.
“She’s still with us, you know,” I say quietly. “I can feel her helping me. Watching over me. But I need you.” I take his hand. He doesn’t look at me, but he grasps my hand tight. “I need a father. As long as you’re still alive, I want you in my life. Will… will you hug me? Please?”
And then I’m in his arms. He’s holding me tight, like he’ll never let go. “My daughter, my belladonna. My flower. My beautiful flower.”
I don’t know how long we stand there, hugging. Long enough to release the pain of all the wasted years. When we break apart, I’m a mess of tears, and Papa’s collar is wet. Some of the grass stains on his clothes transferred to me. But I feel good. Lighter.
He straightens and studies me. “I’m glad you found me.”
“It wasn’t very hard. This was always your favorite home.” Even though we never came here after Mom died.
“It was a wedding gift. Your mother would want you to inherit it.”
I pluck a stray piece of grass off his shirt sleeve. “I think you should hang onto it. It’ll be good for you to live here, out of the city.”
“I thought so. I want you to know, Bella, I didn’t throw away anything of your mother’s. Everything of hers is yours if you want it.”
“Her paintings?” I remember the bare walls at the New Rome house. I was so devastated, thinking he had removed every trace of Mom from the place.