Page 20 of The Strength Of A Woman

I look silly, peering at the leftovers of someone else’s table, and I wish I’d talked about food here.

I need to leave.

But is that it?

Am I giving up so easily?

Am I ready to embrace my fate, go home, eat dinner with my family every day for the next two weeks, and then eventually say yes to some hideous man because that is the tradition?

I instinctively push my chair back.

I know what I need to do.

It has to be done.

It’s messy, I know, but life is messy, isn’t it?

Clearing my throat and running a hand over my hair, I smoothly rise from my seat.

I toss a faint smile to the server, and train my eyes on the man sitting with his female friend not far from me.

It’s hard to say who spots me first.

The woman smiling across from him, his men––one of them must be Cosimo, I guess, as he seems to understand more about this story than the rest of them––or the man himself.

Callum O’Hara.

I notice the rustling of the suits as his men set themselves in motion.

It might be the expression on Vittoria’s face, or the prompt moves of his men as they slide toward me as if I’m a paid assassin.

Leilani Gallo is risking a lot because Leilani Gallo wants to live.

Without a smidgen of regret, I square my shoulders, toss my head back, and gingerly remove my sunglasses, ready to deploy my most efficient ammunition as I walk toward him.

The deep power of my eyes.

And just like that, his gaze meets mine, his hand goes up, stopping time and the actions of his men, as he pulls up from his seat, saying a few words to Vittoria while running a napkin over the corner of his lips.

CALLUM

The Night Before

Unease breaksthrough me as I leave Leilani Gallo behind. Wet, almost naked, confused, a little broken.

She’s a tough woman––I can tell that––but the making of a strong woman is not an easy process, and I surely don't enjoy it.

I gave her the best piece of advice.

I told her what I would’ve told myself had I been in her shoes.

When everything else fails, honesty is the best policy.

Truth can show you the way, even when it’s harsh and inconvenient.

I move quickly toward the other side of the house, eager to put some space between her and me, and not to think about her for at least a damn second.

The lights of the main dining room come into view when a voice rings behind me.