RUNE"In this school, we prioritize parents' involvement in their child's life. Occasionally, you must attend extracurricular activities like sports days and school plays. We'll notify you in advance so you can plan your schedule. Your participation is important for your child's development and to foster community. Any questions?"Rune slowly raised his right hand, and the head teacher, a plus-sized woman he suspected was in her fifties, lowered her glasses to the bridge of her nose, " Yes, Mr Rune?""When you say occasionally, you mean...""Once a week. " His chest tightened. Coming down here and pretending he was a father to a kid who was probably street smarter than him was already hard enough.Kyra, although seated next to him, hadn't imputed a word to the conversation. Her black bob wig and nude-colored wig gave her the aura of a working wife. The smile she gave Laron constantly before calling him honey gave her bonus points.She was best suited for this conversation; two hours
"So tell me, my fair Lily." I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. "What exactly did you do when our dear Don came back after we spoke? mourn silently next to him? "I stuffed a spoonful of my ice cream in my mouth and swallowed, "I married him." As if in agreement, my ring glimmered at me. "It was a really small wedding, just me, him, and the four walls of our bedroom; you wouldn't like to know what happened next."Rune was standing next to the opened window, operating a system. According to him, he could track down Ruslan if I kept the call going for long enough.And that included acting carefree on a call with a man I never thought I'd get to know."Living the fairytale dream in hell. I'm jealous of your bravery.” I heard a popsicle crack, and he continued, "You confuse me." Perhaps my men gave me the wrong reports about you? You seem... mysterious. "His childlike curiosity about my recent behavior and the character that I adopted that was not in any way affiliated with the real m
Salvatore.How could he describe this feeling—the feeling of loss washing over him? Of isolation? Perhaps a case of homesickness?He had been struggling to look at things the same way for the past week, going over files to see if there was anything he could dig for that would lead him back to Campania, but he had come up empty-handed.It didn't do his mental health any good to remember that Kyra warned him. When did he become so bullheaded? How could he have taken the freedom he gained in Campania for granted?There was another way to get out of there: calling Adler and eating back his words by asking him to give the orders. He wished he had his crucifix to hold onto. But wouldn't that be hypocrisy? Would God forgive the faith he had lost in him? In times like this, he wished for Father Martin's voice, telling him how there wasn't a fault God couldn't pardon.He could go back to the house where he last saw his crucifix, but that meant returning to the last place he spent the night w
It had to be a mistake; Lily wouldn't hide such crucial information from him. She wouldn't put herself in harm's way. Who was he kidding? The Lily he knew would walk into disaster with eyes wide open. "We had a deal, you bastard," Adler clenched his jaw, trying to contain the mix of anger and frustration bubbling inside him. "You were to leave Lily out of this."There was a brief silence on the other end before a lengthy, low-pitched laughter followed by the voice, "Adler, come on, we just talked. She's fun to speak to; I couldn't resist."It was difficult for him to think or form words due to the rising heat in his chest; all he wanted was for the fucking game to end."Did you cut me off, little cousin? It was getting hard to reach you all of a sudden," Ruslan continued. "By the way, congratulations on your nuptials. She sounded extremely happy when she broke the news. Where is she anyway? Beside you? She was in the garden the last time I checked."His fears were confirmed. The ba
KYRAIf Rune wasn't on the run after she had given him a heads-up that Adler was on the lookout for him after finding out he helped Lily communicate with Ruslan, she wouldn't be here.None of that would have happened if he hadn't brought it upon himself, so tell her why she had to be the one present for Laron's art and craft, which involved making bracelets out of alphabet beads.They were in a large, noisy hall, with each group of children wearing a different colored shirt that matched their group. Laron was in yellow, and just like the last time she checked, his eyes weren't on his bead and string, but on a girl in another group who was in a red shirt.Kyra gazed at the forgotten string in his hand; his alphabet beads formed the word 'CHLOE', and she instantly comprehended the situation.Despite the noise of children and parents and the discomfort of her formal attire, she started selecting beads, unsure of the message she wanted to create.Her name? That sounded about right. With a
LARON"Do you have a hobby, buddy? football?" The only good thing about being here was the food; other than that, it was all a waste of time, Laron thought as he stuffed his mouth with steak, not to mention the high-placed man looking into his face and forcing conversations.Some distance away from Laron and Luigi, Kyra stood nearby, feeding and caressing a horse. Her excitement contrasting with the gentleness she used to brush its mane.She seemed so different from her usual self; the soft care she had used on him back at the art and craft studio was on full display, and for a moment, he was jealous of the horse and detested the man who owned it.As Kyra waved and Luigi waved back, the smile on his face disappeared. Why did this man always invade his space?Maybe if he ignored him, he would be left alone."I play golf sometimes." Luigi picked up his half-field glass of wine. "What do you play?" "Nothing." His answer was a snap; perhaps the wealthy boy would catch on quickly and ta
SALVATOREFor the first time in weeks, he was out of the manor and, as far as he could tell, unsupervised.The conclusion derived from watching his back constantly as he drove and he hadn't spotted a car following him. He sat opposite Father Armando now, a desk between them and the returned rosary lying pretty on it. God, how he yearned to get it clasped around his neck once again."It's been hard to reach you these days," Father Armando said, observing him. "I see you also lost weight." He wasn't sure he could take it any longer; he'd have to find a way out of Sicily, even if it meant shoving his pride down his throat and calling Adler. "It's been hard to reach you for weeks; I was worried," Father Armando said, observing him. "That's valid because here you are a shadow of yourself.""Not that bad,"' Salvatore answered, knowing he was lying to himself; he had stood before the mirror hours ago, staring at his hollow eyes and gaunt cheeks. "Why am I here?"Father Armando sighed, the
Lily"...I’ve always been his, and he’s always been mine."I shut the book I had been reading aloud to a couple of senior citizens, my relief and sadness of leaving another fictional world to face my harsh reality.Catching myself in time before I slipped into my daily dose of sadness, I looked at my listeners, all sitting on the same settee, attention still on me, and I knew they shared my sadness about it ending."Finn reminds me of my late husband," Clare, one of my patients under me, whispers as if she was telling me a dirty little secret.I chuckled, standing on my feet, knowing there was about to be trouble. Counting mentally, I was at three when another voice of a grey-haired woman grumbled, "Enough of your fictional husband." I saw Sarah rolling her eyes at Clare, her hand curling around her walking frame as she struggled to stand up.It didn't stop Clare from staring at her ring and smiling fondly at memories she had made up from my constant reading to them of my romance boo