PROLOGUE

RHYS’S POV

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO

I had come to Naples to find my half-brother after the news of our father’s death reached me.

But instead, I found love.

I lifted the bouquet to my nose and took a soft breath in, then pulled away. “Perfect.”

Marigolds, gold chrysanthemums, ranunculus, and sunflowers.

They reminded me of her eyes—amber and warm, like honey set on fire.

“That would be one hundred and twenty euros, young man,” the seller said, eyeing me. “Must be a very special girl.”

I pulled the money from my wallet and handed it to him. “The most special girl.”

Then I thanked him and walked toward the lake where she would be waiting for me.

I spotted her sitting on a log before she noticed me, her back turned to me. The sunset reflected on her skin and the wind moved through her hair.

She finally noticed my presence and turned slowly.

My breath caught in my throat at the sight of her eyes.

She was as beautiful as ever.

I smiled at her, already walking faster.

She didn’t return the smile.

She just stood there, staring at me with a blank expression.

The soft look she always had in her eyes when she glanced my way wasn’t there anymore.

I felt a twist in my chest, but I ignored it.

I closed the distance between us and handed her the bouquet. “I got this for you, Fiorella.”

She stared down at the bouquet but didn’t move to take it. “You took so long.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, gesturing at the bouquet. “I had to stop to get this. Take it.”

Fiorella hesitated, but took it anyway. “Thank you.”

She seemed… closed off.

Maybe she was just tired.

Maybe I was overthinking it.

I stepped closer and kissed her softly on the lips, my hands moving down to hold her waist.

“You don’t seem okay,” I said. “Did something happen?”

Her eyes moved away from mine. “Rhys… we need to talk.”

“Talk about what?” I asked, brushing my thumb against her waist teasingly. “Did I do something wrong?”

She took a step back from my touch.

It was just one step away, but somehow, it felt like a distance I couldn’t close.

My hands dropped by my side and I frowned slightly, trying to read her face.

“Fiorella,” I said more seriously now. “What’s going on?”

She still wasn’t looking at me.

I moved closer, and that made her step away from me again.

“Talk to me.”

She swallowed once.

Then finally lifted her eyes to mine. “I’m pregnant.”

The words did not make sense at first.

I let out a small laugh because I thought I had misheard her. “You’re what?”

She did not look away this time. “I said I’m pregnant.”

The second time sounded the same as the first.

I stopped smiling.

I searched her face for anything that would tell me she was joking, but there was nothing.

“That doesn’t seem like a joke,” I said.

She shook her head once. “It’s not.”

My mind tried to place the words into something that made sense, but nothing came together.

That didn’t matter though.

She was pregnant with my child.

I smiled and stepped closer again. “That’s good news. We could run away to Spain together if you’re worried about your father. My mother would love you.”

“I don’t want to run away with you,” she said.

That stung in the worse way, but it made me confused as well. It was something she had always talked about doing.

What changed her mind?

“Why?” I asked. “We’re in love. That’s all that matters.”

Her fingers curled slightly around the stems of the flowers and she finally said it.

“It is not yours.”

The world suddenly went still.

I stared at her, my chest tightening in a way I couldn’t control. “What did you say?”

Her voice stayed calm even though her eyes did not. “The baby is not yours.”

Something in me died immediately.

“You are lying,” I said.

She stayed quiet for a moment and then she spoke again. “I am telling you the truth.”

The world tilted around me.

I clenched hands at my sides and I forced myself to stay calm even though I could feel my sanity slipping.

“You are telling me,” I said slowly, “that you are pregnant, and it is not mine. That you’ve been seeing someone else?”

She was quiet for a while.

“You’re the someone else, Rhys,” she finally answered. “The man I live with isn’t my father as you think. He’s my husband and… the baby is his.”

I froze for a minute, then laughed like I had gone mad.

This had to be a joke.

Fiorella never told me she was married, only that the people she lived with were strict and abusive.

I stared at her, and something in me began to change into something I didn’t recognize.

“I came here to find my brother,” I said, “but I forgot all about that just to be with you.”

“I know,” she said, her voice wavering. “I’m so sorry.”

“And you let me believe we could have a life together when you were married all along?”

She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. “Rhys—”

“No,” I cut her off.

I shook my head, unable to accept my reality.

“Don’t do that. Don’t say my name like that right now. Just tell me this is a prank.”

Her eyes fell on the log in front of her, but she didn’t respond.

Rage suddenly surged through me. “Tell me this is a prank, Fiorella! That you’re carrying my child!”

She flinched at my tone.

That made me feel even worse.

I would never hit her and she knew that.

With shaky hands, she reached into the pocket of her dress and brought out a folded paper.

“This is the report and DNA test results,” she said, handing it over. “I took samples from you to be sure. I’m five months gone. We only became intimate four months ago.”

I took the paper with my heart in my throat, unfolded it and glanced through it.

The contents told me she wasn’t lying.

It wasn’t my baby.

I felt like a fool, my chest splitting open as I stared at the paper.

“Your brother must have left,” her voice floated to my ears like poison. “You should leave for good and forget about me.”

No.

I couldn’t accept that.

I flung the paper over my shoulders. “That’s what you have to say after cheating on me.”

“I cheated with you,” she corrected me, then her gaze turned soft. “We were too close to the sun. We were bound to get burned soon enough.”