Embers: The Light in Your Shadow

Eight

9.5 hours later, I was meeting Lorenzo in the airport. "Welcome to Rome." He took one look at me and his smile dropped. "Where's your luggage?"

"I didn't have time... I had to get away..." I was rumbling on.

"Savannah, what happened?" Lorenzo looked me over, but my eyes scanned the airport. I was jittery and paranoid. Isabella and that guy could be on their way as we speak. We had to get out of the open.

"Come on... we have to go. It's not safe here." I pulled him outside until he took over and brought me to his car. He played some calming music, but I could feel blood leaking from my chest. I must've torn my stitches at some point during the trip here.

I bit my lip to keep from crying out. "You're in pain." Lorenzo placed his hand on top of mine. "Savannah, you know that you can talk to me."

"Will Cesare be there?" My question made him smirk and sigh right after.

"He needs time..."

"There's 365 days in a year. How much time does he need?!" Cesare ignoring me triggered some emotional trauma within me. Was he any better than the townspeople who bullied me by pretending that I didn't exist? I wanted to confess to him. He had to be there.

30 minutes later, we pulled up to this beautiful mansion. I'm sure I looked pale. The more blood I loss, the weaker I was getting. "Come..." Lorenzo led me inside just as Cesare pulled up. Their parents and older sisters were sitting down in another extravagant room. I resisted the urge to enter, because I didn't want to taint it.

"What's she doing here?" Cesare sneered in disgust. His family looked at him, shaking their heads in disappointment.

"Giuseppe, sit down!" His mother said sternly. He did as he was told, and I couldn't help but look upon his face once more. If anything, he's gotten more handsome. "Now dear, what news do you have of my daughter?"

I froze in my spot, recalling Sofia's last moments on Earth. I took deep breaths to calm myself and stood up when the pain in my chest got to be too much. "I'm sorry..." I tried to leave but Cesare caught me by the arm ultimately holding me place.

"You came all this way, for what?"

"Cesare, don't start..." I placed my hand on my chest and gritted my teeth. He took my hand in his own but quickly let go seeing my blood.

"You're bleeding!" I started to fall, but he caught me. "What happened?"

This got his family's attention, and they all surrounded me. "Sofia's murderer broke into my place and tried to kill me. He's working with Isabella... I... I managed to get a picture of his face before I escaped."

Lorenzo took my phone and went to my gallery. His face paled. "Armando killed her?"

"Who's he?" I asked, because I really wanted to know.

Cesare looked at me and caressed my face. "Isabella's younger brother..."

"Damn..."

**

After Giulia and Laura, Cesare's older sisters, patched me up, they bathed me and gave me some of their clothes to wear. "You didn't have to do this..."

"Lorenzo told us how you were treated back in your hometown... I'm sorry you had to go through that." Giulia, the oldest child, said.

"Yeah, we don't ever want you to feel like you don't belong. You are welcomed here any time... especially now since you're Cesare's soulmate." Laura giggled.