Adriano
I sat alone in my office, staring at the ceiling. My heart wouldn’t stop racing. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Azalea’s smile.
I remembered how peaceful I felt when she was close to me. How badly I wanted to protect both her and Amira from all the darkness in my world.
This feeling was new. Scary. I had never felt this way about any woman before.
The truth was scary. My whole life, I had built thick walls around my heart. I told myself that love was a weakness. Love was a pain. Love was what destroyed my mother and drove her to her death.
But when Azalea touched my hair, when she let me sleep on her shoulder even though it hurt her, when she smiled at me like I was worth something... maybe that was love. Real love.
I buried my face in my hands. What was happening to me?
