“You’re here.” He spread his palm over his heart. “Inside me. Part of me forever. If I raise my hand against you, I hurt myself. If I disrespect you, I bring shame on myself. Whether you stay with me or not, that will never change. “But if you stay, Jessica, I’ll never abandon you. Or lie to you. Or put anyone above you. And no matter what, I’ll never stop loving you. Every day, all day, for all the days I have left. That’s how you fit into my life.”

“Ian!" she cried, afraid to believe it. "I don’t want you to ever regret that you married me."He smiled, and his fingertips caressed her cheeks. "Regret it? How could I?" You are my passionate Italian wife. You are the woman who is going to give me children and whose bed I intend to sleep in every night. You’re the reason I’ll wake up every morning with a smile on my face. I love you, I will be in love with you every day of my life, and the only day I’m leaving you is the day they put me in the ground.”

“I’m sorry, Olivia, for hurting you,” he said hoarsely and my heart heaved in mychest. Why was his voice so gentle? Why wasn’t he screaming at me? I was the onewho did the hurting. It was me. My fault. My sin. My mess. “You will never see me again after today.” He paused and his next words struck me so deeply I would never recover from them. “I will love again, Olivia, you will hurt forever. What you’ve done is…You are worthless because you make yourself that way. You will remember me every day for the rest of your life because I was the one and you threw me away.” And then he left.”

“I’ll wait for you Layla. Forever if I have to; because there will never be anyone else for me. You are my only love and I won’t give up fighting for you.”

“I’ll walk away from you because I have to, but I won’t walk away from my daughter. If I do, I’ll never forgive myself. So if there’s any part of you which still loves me, please don’t ask me to.”

“How did you find me?""I always know where you are, every moment.Five years ago you said you needed time, and I gave it to you. But I've never left you. I never will." There was a gentle finality to his words, an echo of the resolve in his mind.Savannah's heart lurched. "Don't do this, Gregori. You know how I feel. I've created a new life for myself."His hand,gentle in her hair, sent butterflied rising in her stomach. "You cannot change what you are. You are my lifemate, and it is time for you to come to me.”