❝I would burn for all eternity to feel your touch once more.❞
Former mafia member now turned barista, Lorenzo Castello, is running away from his family to grieve a sudden loss when he meets a paramedic with no impulse control that turns his world up...
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THEY SAY THAT when you die, you see the last few moments of your life replay all over again before time stops and those bright lights finally take you away from the material world and into the spiritual one where God would judge you and decide what to do with your soul – burn for eternity or heal in heaven along with the angels.
Lorenzo hoped that his soul would end up in heaven so that he could spend the rest of his undying life there with his dead family – he had no doubt his nonna and Arabella were there but he was scared not to find his mom there. Eugenia Castello, unlike her daughter and mother-in-law, wasn't a kind soul but he still loved her. She was his mother, how could he not?
But unfortunately, or fortunately – he really couldn't decide which one it was – he didn't need to think of that just yet because his ending hadn't arrived just yet.
When he opened his eyes, he couldn't believe the sight that greeted him. Everything disappeared around him as he took in the scene that played out in front of him. He couldn't move, he couldn't blink, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even think straight. It was like all he could do was just stand there and watch as the lifeless body finally fell down with the loudest thud there was, blood still spilling from the wound between its eyes.
A scream broke him out of his trance and suddenly that tunnel vision of his disappeared as he could see all of his surroundings. He gasped, a strange emotion flooding his senses before he felt himself move forwards. He wrapped his arms around her, the thought of losing her had crossed his mind that night and he still couldn't believe what had just happened.
Gia's eyes never left his own as she stared at him before another scream was heard. He turned behind him to see Pietro falling onto his knees, his hands on his head as he wailed. Gia's eyes prickled with tears as she pushed herself as close to him as possible but then, he realised she was also trying to get away from the dead body in front of them.
Adolfo Castello's final words still echoed inside his head and Lorenzo couldn't believe that his father was dead – gone, just like that. He couldn't exactly explain what he was feeling either. Relief, grief and anger all at once. Relief because Gia and his brother were left unharmed. Grief because while his father was an awful man, he was still his padre and he loved him no matter what. And finally, anger because all of this was his own fault.
Had he not fraternized with Gia; his father would still be alive. Had he not stayed in San Francisco longer than needed, his brother wouldn't be crying in pain behind him as he mourned his father. Had he stepped up in the mafia before all of this happened and took his padre's place, his brother wouldn't have had to kill Adolfo to protect him and to protect the woman his older brother loved.
Lorenzo choked as he spoke, "It's all my fault. I'm sorry, Pietro but this is all my fault,"
His brother didn't seem to hear him which seemed very logical at the moment because he was whispering and Pietro was crying his heart out. The gun was thrown away somewhere to his right while he sat on his legs, his knees holding most of his weight. His hands were on his face, covering it from him and Gia. He couldn't believe his brother could do something like that; sure, he had seen him kill before but that was their father! He was strong enough to grab his gun and shoot his father just to save him.
