REYNA

The days went by in a blur. I spent most of my time with mama. Every moment she spent laid up in the hospital, I was beside her. I even got to see some of the women and girls from the brothels come in and get checked out. I only watched from afar and held back my gasp when I saw the young girl I had met during my horrifying stay there, Leila. Thankfully, to help keep our story covered up, she didn't see me, but I had a clear view of her.

Leila was covered up in a hospital gown, her hair was actually clean, and there was a brightness in her eyes I couldn't see under the darkness of the room we were in. It was comforting to see her alive, and well, and free.

I tucked back into my mother's room where they were already beginning to place her into a wheelchair so she could be discharged. I smiled as I followed the nurse out of the room and down the hall until we were out of the hospital. Alessandro was waiting outside in a large truck. The moment he saw us, he stepped out of the car and helped the nurse get my mother into the truck.

Alessandro wanted to spend more time with our mother, so we agreed that she could stay with him for a while. There, he already hired the best nurses the city had to offer in order to keep her in the best shape as possible. He could do more for her with the money he had than I could, and I knew how badly she wanted to be with him... there was no place in my heart to disagree.

"Bye, Mama!" I exclaimed, leaning down and planting a kiss on her cheek.

She smiled at my kiss. "Bye, Reyna! Alessandro said he's hosting a dinner later on this week, so I'll see you later," she said. Later. There was that word again. "And hopefully I'll get to actually meet Saint this time, too."

I nodded my head, stepping back so I could close the door. The moment the door was shut, Alessandro started up the car. He gave me a curt nod just before backing up and pulling out of the parking lot.

Just as they left, Saint pulled up in his vehicle right in front of me. His arm was resting over the passenger seat while his other hand was occupied with the steering wheel. Sunglasses were perched on the bridge of his nose, and the sun was dancing off the whites of his teeth as he smirked at me.

I opened the passenger door and slid right into the seat. Saint's aroma quickly filled my nostrils as I reached over to put on my seatbelt.

"Good morning!" I chirped.

Saint didn't respond. He only took off out of the parking lot.

It had been a few days since I last saw him. His beard was starting to grow out to a light chisel. I found myself wanting to run my fingers around his jaw just so I could get a feel.

Clearing my throat, I took my phone out of my pocket and began to send a text to my mother. Adriano had given me a phone of my own to use. He mentioned that Saint wanted me to have it, and as long as I was able to change a few things so the government couldn't monitor my every move, I would no longer have to change out for a burner phone. I never really had an actual smartphone—call me old fashioned, but I never really had a need for it. Now, there were so many people in my life I needed to communicate with—it was essential.

"Thank you for the phone," I said, raising it up so he could see it.

He glanced at the phone and then at me. "Qualsiasi cosa per te, Angel."

"Anything for you?" I translated with a raised brow. "I've been learning some of the Italian language and culture. Was I correct?"

He smirked. "Corretto."

I only leaned back in my seat as we rode back to Saint's place in silence. However, it was the kind of silence anyone wanted to get lost in. The one that grabbed you, cherished you, locked away your thoughts, and encouraged you enjoy the present. I found myself wanted to get lost in it forever, hoping that I would never forget moments as they exist.

I turned to look at Saint. Like I've done many times before, I really looked at him. Through his hard exterior that liked to come off as uncaring and selfless, I could feel his need to be warm and gentle with someone. It was clawing to come out and I could see it in his eyes every time I was near.

Every moment that I had ever seen him so open and vulnerable played out in my mind like my favorite movie. It almost made me smile to think about the times when I felt like I was talking to him—the real him. Saint was a complex man, so hard to understand, yet so easy once you know him.

I've always been the one to challenge myself with the most complex games, and I never stopped until I was claiming victory. To me, he was my favorite game and I wasn't going down without a win.

"You're staring. Stop," he said. His car began to slow down as we pulled into the very long drive through.

"No," I responded.

He turned to me with an evil glint in his eye, turning off the car and allowing us to sit there in utter silence as the roar of the engine came to an ending.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked.

He turned to me with his brows scrunched together. It was kind of cute.

"You told me before that you hadn't decided what you wanted to do with me. Now, it seems like time is up because our deal is over. So, what's going to happen to me now that Viktor is dead and my mother is found, and alive, and safe?" I questioned.

He bit down on his bottom lip and I couldn't stop myself from following the movement with my eyes. Saint's face was almost blank and empty of any emotion beside the darkened look in his eye.

"What do you want to do?" he asked me.

I never really gave that much thought. I wondered if I would enjoy getting my mom once she got well and going back to our beach house, but did that mean I would never see Saint again? Would we be safe?

For a moment, I fantasized about my life here—just me and Saint. Truthfully, I didn't know if there was a me and Saint. We had sex a few times, but I wasn't sure if it meant to him what it meant to me.

"What do you want me to do?" I dared.

He stayed silent, probably thinking the same thoughts as me. We knew that there were the right words to say, but we were too frightened to ever take the risk of saying them.

"I'll think about it," he muttered.

Saint opened his car door and stepped out. It was like cold water had been poured down my back as I watched him walk around the car and open the door for me. My glare followed him as he retreated into the house, ruining what could have been a beautiful moment.

I stepped out of the car and shut the door behind me. As I stood there, I got a text from my mother who began to go on and on about Natalia—she liked her.

A smile came across my face as I read her message and began to follow Saint's path into the house where I shut the front door behind me. The cool air conditioning hit me hard along with the harsh smell of bleach.

I glanced up from my phone to see the couches were gone.

"What—" I began to wonder aloud until I saw a medium-sized gift box sprinkled with silver glitter with a beautiful red bow sitting right on top. Under the bow was a note with my name written on it.

I crept toward the box and softly pulled the note from underneath the bow.

I giggled. I actually giggled. There was a sense of deja vu from the first moment him and I had ever made contact with eachother.

Setting the note down, I looked inside the box to discover a silky black dress with a high slit for the leg and a low slit for the cleavage of my breast. It was beautiful. With the dress, there was a pair of heels gold and black Saint Laurent that must've cost a fortune. At the bottom of the gift box was a game—my favorite game—chess.

I placed everything back inside of the gift box and headed toward my room. When I got there, I noticed my room had been cleaned. The violin was picked up from the floor and neatly placed beside my bed. My bedding had been neatly made, unlike anything I could ever replicate. The curtains were pulled back, allowing the richness of the sun's rays to shine in the room. It even smelled of a clean linen fragrance.

It had been almost a full week that I was last in my room. I could only remember how depression was creeping into my soul, ready to trap me for forever. That was until Saint got a call that completely changed my life, giving me the second chance to be there for my mother.

I placed the gift box down onto my bed and removed everything from it again.

There was a pep in my step as I headed toward the shower, ready to enjoy a night with Saint.

—

Hi, babes! This is kind of a short chapter, but I'll update again soon. Please don't be shy and let me know your thoughts. Also, don't forget that if you all would like to interact with me and make more friends who enjoy reading stories like mine, join my discord! The link is in my description! I will be hosting a giveaway soon!

question: if you were the writer, how would you like this book to end?