&nbs
p; I waited for her to go before taking Evelyn’s hand. “See, this why you aren’t allowed to die. You’re the rock of the family. Even when your heart is broken, and you are in pain, you still try to comfort everyone else. Who’s going to do that when you are gone?”
“I can’t live forever, Calliope.”
“Of course not. I’m only asking for another decade or two.”
She laughed even as she cried. “That is asking for a lot.”
“Really? I don’t think so.”
“Everyone will be fine.”
“No,” I shook my head and squeezed her hand. “Ethan will not be fine. You know that. And while I want him to hurt for what he did to me, I don’t want him going off the edge because of you. How will I explain that to him when he gets back?”
“Have you heard from him?”
I shook my head again. I hadn’t heard a word, and I’d checked. I’d called. I had even hacked into surveillance feeds to check where the Orsini house once stood; however, it was gone. Nothing but burnt rumble. Italian police reports were silent, the only news was that there was a fire. That gave me confidence because someone had to make sure they remained silent. Ethan. But why wasn’t the son of a bitch answering me then?
“You are worried about him.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.
“Me? Worried about him? No, I’m worried about myself. If he is gone any longer, there will be a full rebellion.”
“Calliope, it’s okay to show you have feelings.”
“I do.”
“I mean your real feelings.”
Feelings show weakness. Weaknesses are exploited. That equals death. That was what I had always been taught. Never show all of your hand. Don’t even show it all to yourself. Be like water, fluid and ever-changing during circumstances. The one time I wasn’t, Ethan was able to trick me.
“It was good to see you angry and hurt, bashing cars and ready to light the whole house on fire.” She laughed and then coughed.
“Careful,” I said, helping her.
She shook her head at me. “The family doesn’t trust you because they can’t understand you. They doubt Ethan because they don’t understand him, either. You both are very much alike and yet so different. It’s good.”
“Thank you, now, tell them that once you are all better—”
“Calliope, promise me something.”
“You all are really making me rack up debt with these promises.”
She smiled. “Promise me, that the same way you dedicated your life to gaining everything you wanted now, will be how dedicated you are protecting and keeping this family going. No matter how much they annoy you or offend you or how angry you are at Ethan, you will remember to lay down your life to make sure they keep living. And that you will never leave him. You’ll always be beside Ethan.”
“Evelyn, don’t give me too much credit or so much faith. At the end of the day, I will always do what I think I must to survive, that my children survive. My heart is small; it only covers so much.”
“It will grow, and one day, you might end up hiding in the shadows to make sure your kids and their kids and the rest of the family is whole. So, promise me.”
“Only if you promise me that you will live at least half a decade.”
She smiled but didn’t answer.
“Evelyn, Liam is still—”
“I’ve said so much to my son already; he knows,” she cut me off. “So, promise me.”
I sighed heavily. “Fine, I promise. Now you have to stay alive to make sure I don’t break it.”