Chapter 57
57
Lorenzo
After a lazy morning in bed, I know there is one place I need to take Victoria.
I don’t tell her where we are going, but in all fairness, it’s obvious.
Normally, when I step foot on her parents’ property, I’m brimming with anger, but today, I’m not.
Hand in hand we walk together in silence, but the silence isn’t an uncomfortable kind. It doesn’t beg to be filled.
She doesn’t ask where we’re going as I lead her down the path. She just follows me with no questions, a soft look on her face.
The boathouse comes into view, and I tighten my grip on her fingers.
“This is where it ends,” I say quietly.
She looks at me then, searching my face. “Ends p>
I nod. “The versions of us that didn’t survive. The children who didn’t know how to fight for each other yet p>
We step inside together.
She turns slowly, taking it in. The walls. The floor. The place where everything began before it shattered. I know we have both been back since that summer. Her numerous times, I’m sure, but right now it feels different. Like we are both finally ready to put the past to bed.
“You brought me here to say goodbye to the past,” she asks.
“Yes,” I answer. “Then we can start clean p>
I release her hand only long enough to reach into my coat and pull out the paper I’ve brought with me.
The paper is folded and thin. It’s been open and closed many times over the years. I don’t look at it. I’ve looked at it enough.
I hand it to her.
Her brow furrows as she unfolds it.
She reads it.
The color drains from her face as realization crashes through her. “No,” she whispers, and her hands start to shake. “I didn’t write this,” she says. “I never wrote this p>
Her chest rises sharply as she continues to stare at the tiny piece of paper that cost me everything.
“That isn’t my handwriting.” She looks up at me, eyes glossy, furious, devastated all at once. “This isn’t the letter I gave your mom p>
“You gave my mom a letter p>
“I did. Right after my parents told me I had to leave…” A tear falls down Victoria’s cheek. “Why—didn’t she give it to you p>
“I don’t know p>
And I don’t. I don’t understand why my mother would let me believe this lie… but then again, knowing her, she probably thought she was protecting me.
“I’m so sorry. Lorenzo, I would never say those things to you. You know that, right p>
Something inside me finally loosens. It’s not rage; it’s grief. Then relief, so sharp it almost drops me to my knees.
“I know,” I say quietly. “I know that… now p>
Tears spill down her face, and she presses a hand to her mouth.
“They told me I had to leave,” she chokes. “They told me I had no choice… They said p>
“What did they say p>
“They told me if I didn’t leave they would call the people your mother was running from, I left because I thought by leaving I was keeping you safe. They lied…” she whispers.
“Yes p>
The word feels heavy. Final.
She breaks then… really breaks.
Her sobs shake her whole body. Grief and fury pour out from her.
I step into her space and pull her against me without hesitation, her forehead pressing into my chest, her tears soaking my shirt.
“I waited,” she sobs. “I waited so long p>
“So did I,” I whisper into her hair. “I just didn’t know what I was waiting for p>
Her hands fist my shirt like she’s afraid letting go will undo us.
“I don’t want to be that naive girl anymore,” she whispers.
“You aren’t p>
My gaze drifts to the shelf along the wall, to the old, battered copy of Wuthering Heights that I left here all those years ago. I place a kiss on her forehead and reach out to grab it.
I pick it up.
“For years, I thought I was Heathcliff,” I say quietly. “That loving you meant suffering. Becoming something bitter. Dying alone just to prove how deeply I felt p>
She looks up at me through tears. “And now p>
I meet her eyes.
“I don’t care about the tragedy anymore. I don’t want to punish the world for loving you. I just want to love you. Fully. Completely p>
I take a step back and reach into my pocket.
“What are you doing?” she asks, but it only takes her a second to realize, her eyes going wide, when I pull the matchbook out. Then I ignite it.
The pages curl. Blacken. Burn.
I drop the burning book into the small metal bin that once held tools.
Together, we watch as the book burns.
“What now?” she asks softly.
“I won’t live without you. I choose you—here, now, as my wife p>
She takes a step closer, then her hand reaches out until it rests on my chest, right over my heart.
“Do we need to forget the past?” she whispers. “Because some of it was good p>
“We don’t have to,” I reply. “We just have to stop living in it p>
She looks at me for a second, and her lips tip up. “We were always coming back to each other,” she says.
“Yes.” I nod, a smirk forming on my own face. “Soulmates are inconvenient like that p>
Then I cup her face, thumb brushing away the last of her tears. “My Little Bird,” I say. “You flew so far just to land back here p>
She laughs through her tears.
Then she kisses me, but this time, it’s not desperate. This kiss is certain. Absolute. As if to finally acknowledge that we are inevitable…
When we finally pull apart, I need her desperately. There’s something about being back here, where it all started, that makes me need to lay claim to her in all ways.
I pull back, my lip lifting into a smirk. “Take off your clothes p>
“Here p>
“Yes, here. This is the perfect place p>
My very sweet and adorable wife blushes like we’ve never done this before.
I lift a brow. “Really? Are you nervous p>
“Last time we were here.. p>
“Yes p>
“We were still kids p>
“We were eighteen,” I remind her.
She laughs. “Barely p>
“Just enough p>
She shakes her head, but she lifts her shirt off, followed by her pants.
Victoria is fucking exquisite.
“I’ll never get enough of you p>
“Good ‘cause you forced me to marry you, so you’re kind of stuck with me now p>
“Such a mouth on you.. p>
“Gonna do something about it p>
“Yeah, I am. I know what you can do with it.” I point at the ground. “On your knees p>
She follows my orders like the good girl she is.
“Unzip me.” Her hand reaches for my zipper, pulling it down.
“Why am I naked, but you’re not p>
I incline my head down. “Tsk. Tsk. No asking questions.” I reach forward and place my finger on her lip. “Take out my cock p>
She does.
“Open p>
Her perfect lips part, and her tongue juts out, swiping the head of my dick. Licking the drop of cum that has beaded on the tip.
It’s official. If I died now, I’d be a happy man. Crazy thought for someone who spends 90 percent of their time murdering people.
The feeling is so sublime as she leans closer, taking me fully in her mouth, that a shiver actually runs down my spine. “Fuck. That feels good.” I start to fuck her throat in earnest.
She slides her tongue up and down my shaft, making sure to run it up the vein before swirling it over the crown.
Having Victoria on her knees is probably the hottest sight I’ve ever seen.
My legs nearly give out from beneath me as she pushes forward, my cock now hitting the back of her throat.
Her eyes meet mine, wide yet playful. She still has my dick in her mouth, so she doesn’t answer. “I need to fuck you…” I groan as she does a swirl with her tongue. “Okay. I’m going to need to do that now because this feels too damn good p>
Victoria actually laughs around my dick, and this time, I swear I almost black out from how amazing I feel.
Death by blow job…
Victoria pulls back, my dick popping out of her mouth. She’s still on her knees, looking at me expectantly.
“Turn around. Ass in the air p>
What I love about Victoria is that she might be feisty in real life, but like this, she’s not.
She gets into position.
“Good girl.” I move to kneel behind her, then run my cock up and down through her drenched folds.
“I want to watch as you take my cock p>
With my hands braced on her hips, I push forward, admiring the view as my dick spreads her pussy lips apart. Then I thrust all the way to the hilt, disappearing inside her completely.
Pulling out, I swirl my dick one more time at her entrance before pushing forward again.
“I love watching myself fuck you p>
A moan escapes her, so I pull my dick out, torturing us both.
“Please,” she groans.
“What, Little Bird. Tell me what you want p>
“Fuck me p>
Finally, when I can’t take it anymore, I drive my whole length back in.
Harder.
Faster.
Deeper.
Time stands still as I fuck her. I watch as her greedy pussy is owned by my cock.
My hand reaches around. I flick her clit, and her walls tighten around me. My balls tighten, and my dick jerks as I come.
Both of us tremble, trying to catch our breath. “That was amazing,” I breathe out.
“It was. And here. It was perfect p>
This moment was always going to happen.
For the first time in my life, love isn’t something I survive.
It’s something I choose.
And I’m not going to let go.