The air left her lungs in a long rush. More than anything, her grandfather had wanted her to marry Paolo. She had always laughed, brushing the idea off because she wasn’t the least physically attracted to the man. He hadn’t asked her out, or acted interested in her until a couple of years earlier when he began watching her closely. The way he watched her lately had actually creeped her out, so much so that she had taken an additional couple years of schooling just to avoid going home. Paolo hadn’t worried about trying to court her because he believed he had her no matter what. Now she knew why.

“Once he sent you in, and he probably figured he’d only do it that one time to exact his revenge, it worked so well that he kept doing it.”

She pressed her lips together to keep from crying. Everything Elijah told her made sense.

“What would you like to drink?”

His voice was soft. Gentle. She had to blink back tears. “Water,” she answered, without looking up. Absently, she traced patterns in the tabletop. “He wanted me to marry Paolo. He talked about it all the time. Ever since I turned eighteen. I thought he was joking at first. Paolo never even looked at me then. Even that night, after Paolo beat me and Nonno saw what he’d done to me, he still wanted me to marry him.”

“Baby,” Elijah said softly. “Don’t. I told you I didn’t want to share this shit with you. It hurts. I don’t like being the one to cause that hurt.”

“You aren’t, Elijah. I need to know this. It was my grandfather who hurt me. He couldn’t love me for some reason, and I guess I’ll never really know why.”

“Never for one minute think that he didn’t love you, Siena. Your grandfather loved you.”

She lifted her gaze to his face. “He didn’t though, Elijah. I’m not certain he knew what love was.”

“He loved you, mi amor. No one could have you in their life and not love you. He lost sight of what was important. Once your grandmother died, he lost himself. My uncle and aunt used to talk about it. How different he was. How hard he became. How focused on being at the top. Before, when she was alive, he laughed all the time. He had parties and opened the winery to his friends. He was very closed off after she died.”

His hand swept down the length of her hair in a caress. Gentle. So gentle her heart did a curious little melting around the edges and her stomach fluttered as if a million butterflies had taken wing.

“I was lost too, and he sent me away.”