Page 44 of Lost Prince

"What happened here?" Elio’s voice is sharp as he makes his way to Piper and wraps her up like he’s protecting her. Protecting her from me.

Elysse watches me warily as she goes to them, hiding behind Elio.

"It was an accident," Lana says quickly.

I suppose I should be grateful that she’s trying to cover for me. But all I feel is anger, fear, pain, and self-loathing all at once.

I meet Elio's gaze. The disappointment and wariness I see there cuts deep. I'm suddenly hyper-aware of every scaron my body, every mark that sets me apart as dangerous, unpredictable. Their proof that I’m a mad dog.

The weight of their stares becomes unbearable. I'm suffocating, trapped in a box of their expectations and my own failures. I need to get out, to breathe, to think.

Without waiting for a response, I push past them all and head for the door. No one tries to stop me. I'm not sure if that's a relief or another twist of the knife. Maybe I should leave and not come back. No, Lana would come looking for me. It’s so important to her to have me home. My guilt cranks up at that thought.

As I step outside, the cool evening air hits my face. I take a deep breath, trying to clear my head. I head to the garage, noticing that Lola is gone. Fear grips me as I imagine Diana taking her few items, tossing them in Lola, and heading out of town.

I grab the first keys from the hook and rush to the Audi it belongs to. I put the car in gear and drive like a maniac to Diana’s apartment, hoping to catch her before she leaves. But if she was fired that afternoon, she’d have a head start.

Relief floods through me when I see her car parked outside her building. She's here. She hasn't gone yet. I take the stairs two at a time, barely pausing to catch my breath before I'm knocking on her door.

The seconds stretch into eternity before I hear movement inside. When Diana opens the door, my heart clenches. Her eyes are red and puffy, her cheeks stained with tears. She's been crying, and it's my fault. My family's fault.

Without a word, I step inside, closing the door behind me. We stand there for a moment, the silence heavy between us. I want to pull her into my arms, to apologize for everything, but maybe I don’t have any right to. She was fired but didn’t come tell me. Didn’t call me. Maybe she's done with the D'Amatos.

Gently, I reach out and capture her chin, tilting her face up to meet my gaze. "Tell me what happened.”

Diana's lower lip trembles as she starts to speak. "I'm so sorry, Lazaro. I didn't mean to upset Lana. I should have kept my mouth shut, but I just… I couldn't stand the way she was talking about you."

Her words catch me off guard. She's apologizing? After what Lana did? I might not remember my life with Lana before, but I’ve been around her enough to know that she doesn’t pull punches when she’s got a burr up her ass. No doubt, she accused Diana of manipulating me or some bullshit.

"What do you mean? What did you say to Lana?"

Diana's eyes drop, unable to meet mine. "I told her that maybe you like spending time with me because I'm the only one who isn’t trying to turn you back into the man you were before. That maybe you're not that man anymore and she needs to learn to love you for who you are now."

I don’t have words to explain the feeling that wells in my chest. She defended me to my sister. She stood up for who I am now, not who I used to be. It means more than I can express.

I pull Diana into my arms, holding her close as she trembles against me. "You have nothing to apologize for.”

She gives me a watery smile, and I can't resist leaning in to kiss her softly. The kiss deepens, and I lose myself in the comfort of her presence, the way she makes me feel whole.

When we finally break apart, I rest my forehead against hers. "Come back with me.”

Diana tenses in my arms, pulling back slightly. "I don't know. Lana made it clear she doesn't want me there. And I… I don't want to cause more problems for you and your family."

I shake my head, cupping her face in my hands. "You're not the problem, Diana. Lana overstepped. I want you there. The only problem I have is when you’re not around.”

She gives me a wan smile. “I was fired.”

“So. You don’t have to work to be there with me. I can take care of you.”

Something flashes in her eyes, and I’m not sure what it means, but I’m afraid it will push her away. She’s not the type to want to be kept.

“I can unfire you," I say hurriedly. Especially now, I imagine they’ll let me keep Diana as a way to appease me. I don’t like that they have to do that, treat me with kid gloves, but I’ll use it if that’s what it takes to have Diana with me.

The hesitation remains in her eyes.

“I won’t take no, Diana. If I have to kidnap you, I will.” I give her a crooked grin.

Her lips twitch upward. "You wouldn't dare."