Chapter 4 - THE BLOODLINE RENEWED
By 3:00 a.m., Lily was asleep in the master bedroom under a heavy down comforter.
Elena sat on the kitchen counter wearing one of Vincent’s oversized white dress shirts, sipping hot tea. Her bruises had been treated with antibacterial ointment, and a clean bandage was wrapped around her right shoulder.
Vincent stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the Manhattan skyline. He held a glass of scotch in his hand, though he hadn't taken a sip.
"You haven't changed much," Elena noted softly, breaking the silence. "Still standing near windows like you're carrying the weight of the whole world."
Vincent turned slightly, a faint, dark smile touching his lips. "When you lose your brother and the woman he loved on the same night, you tend to stop carrying light things."
Elena set her teacup down and slid off the counter, walking over to stand beside him. The top of her head barely reached his chest.
"I thought about you every day, Vincent," she said quietly. "In those dark years hiding in small towns... changing our names... working double shifts at diners just to buy Lily clothes... I wondered if you knew. I wondered if you thought I ran away with Julian’s killer."
Vincent looked down at her, his dark eyes fierce with intense emotion. "I never believed you betrayed us, Elena. I searched for you for three years. I spent millions hiring private investigators, scouring every hospital and morgue from Boston to Miami."
"Why?" Elena asked softly, reaching out and gently laying her small hand over his heart. "Julian was the one you were close to. Why look for me?"
Vincent looked down at her hand on his chest. His heart beat wildly under her palm.
"Because Julian wasn't the only one who fell in love with you twelve years ago, Elena," Vincent confessed, his voice dropping to an intimate whisper.
Elena gasped softly, her breath catching in her throat.
"I stayed silent back then because Julian was my elder brother, and I respected his happiness above my own," Vincent continued, stepping closer to her until there was no space left between them. "I watched him hold your hand. I watched him dance with you at family dinners. And every night, I hated myself for wishing it was me."
Elena’s eyes flooded with emotion. "Vincent..."
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"For twelve years, I thought my punishment for loving my brother's fiancée was losing both of you," Vincent whispered, reaching out and cupping her cheek with his warm, strong hand. "I swore if I ever got a second chance... I would burn the entire world to keep you safe."
Elena leaned her face into his warm palm, closing her eyes as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Then burn it, Vincent. Because Carmine won't stop until Lily and I are dead."
