The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 244

Chapter 219: Her Brother

Bella POV

“He never did,” Enzo said simply. “Not until he met you. Now he won’t stop talking about her.” He turned his coffee cup in his hands. “There is a photograph on his desk at home. It has been there my entire life. I always thought it was an aunt or a relative, because he never explained who she was. But after he came home from meeting you, he picked it up and held it for a long time. I think that was the first time I understood that the picture was a sadness he had been carrying since before we were born.”

I did not say anything.

“He’s been very lonely for a very long time,” Enzo said. He did not say it sadly, just as a fact. “And none of us knew how to help him. Olivier tried by being perfect at everything. I tried by making him laugh sometimes. Neither of those things was what he actually needed, but it was all we had.”

“That sounds” I stopped. I started again. “That sounds like a very specific kind of loneliness.”

“Yes.” He looked at me steadily. “The kind where you have everything except the one thing you really want. You probably know something about that.”

I did. I said nothing, but he saw the truth in my face anyway. He just nodded and moved on.

I looked down at my hands, feeling a sudden wave of guilt. “I am sorry if I inconvenienced your family,” I said softly. “I never wanted to cause trouble or throw your lives into chaos.”

Enzo shook his head quickly. “It is nothing, really. Don’t apologize. Honestly, I have always wanted to have a younger sister. Now, hearing that I have an older sister instead actually makes me happy.”

I laughed a little at that, the tension in my chest easing. But then I looked at him, thinking about everything he had just told me. “Although, I am a bit envious of your mother,” I admitted. “My mother never got to experience that kind of deep love although he carried her memory for years.”

I realized how that might sound to him, and I instantly felt bad. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Enzo smiled, but it was a painful, sad smile. “It’s not your fault, he said gently. “You don’t need to apologize for the truth. My mother had him, but she didn’t have all of him. We both know that now.”

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He cleared his throat, shifting back to his usual easy tone. “Anyway, I should tell you that I decided I liked you about some minutes ago,” he said. “Before I even came up here. The woman in the coffee shop downstairs described you to me, and I just decided. I know that is not very logical.”

“It isn’t,” I agreed.

“I come from an art background. We do things like that.” He looked over at the Parasaurolophus again. also think your son sounds amazing, based just on his rotating dinosaur system. Is there a real schedule for it, or does he just go by instinct?”

“It is entirely based on his instinct,” I said. “He has very strong feelings about which dinosaur belongs in which environment each week.”

“Obviously.” Enzo smiled.

13

A

Chapter 219 Her B

Hfelt a dcep. strange stock of recognition look right back at me.

Claim

He saw something change in my face, but he did not press me about it. He just waited for me to speak.

“He talked about her,” I said after a moment, referring to his father. “He talked for hours. He told me she translated a book into French for him once. She didn’t know all the words, so she just made them up. He said she said them with so much confidence that he just nodded along for a whole chapter.”

Enzo laughed. It was a real, loud laugh that surprised me. “That is the most ‘her’ thing I have ever heard about a person I never met.”

“I never met her either,” I reminded him.

“I know.” He said it very gently. “I think that is the thing Olivier has not realized yet. You lost something too, it’s not just us who are hurting.” He turned his coffee cup again. “Olivier will get there. He is not a bad person. He is just grieving. He is only twenty-three, and he was raised to believe that protecting the family name is how you show love. It isn’t, but it is all he knows.”

“I know something about that too,” I said.

“I thought you might.”

We sat in silence for a moment.

“I should probably get back to Lyon soon,” Enzo said, standing up from his chair. “Finals are coming. My professor hates it when people miss class. I already used my grandmother’s funeral as an excuse back in February, so I am running out of family emergencies.” He paused, looking at me. “Though, technically, this counts as one. I just discovered a sister. That seems pretty important.”

I stood up too. “It seems like a lot.”

“It is a lot.” He looked at me one more time with that honest, easy warmth. “I am glad you exist,” he said. “I just want you to know that. Whatever happens with Olivier, and whatever happens with the business, I am glad you are here. She would have been glad too.”

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it. Finally, I managed to say, “Thank you.”

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He nodded, picked up his empty cup, and walked toward the door. He stopped right at the doorway, faced me, and smiled.

۴

“I forgot to tell you,” he said. “You are so pretty. And hearing a bit of your story, all I can say is that I am proud of you, sister, and everything you have achieved.”

“Thank you, Enzo,” I whispered, my voice a little shaky. “That means more than you know.”

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