“Hmm…” I relax and rest my arm on the back of the couch. When Yuki snuggles into my side, I smirk at Ryo.
He says something to her in Japanese, to which she responds in English, “Don’t be rude. It will take time for the two of you to get to know and trust each other.”
Wanting this dinner over with as soon as possible, I pull my phone out and send Lorenzo a message to order pizzas.
Ryo and Yuki stare at each other before he says, “Seeing as we’re not going to get any privacy, tell me everything I missed out on. School.” His glances at me. “Boyfriends. First loves.” Turning his attention back to her, he continues, “And about the fact that you were forced to impersonate me. Tell me more about that shit.”
“I was tutored at home, and obviously I didn’t date at all.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “After they took you away, I was given boy clothes and started getting fillers every three months to make my features masculine.”
“But you’re short and small,” Ryo mentions, a dark frown on his face.
“The shoes had built-in lifts, and I wore padded shirts, so I’d look bigger.”
He shakes his head. “What else?”
“She almost died,” I say, wanting him to know how fucked up Yuki’s life was.
“I know. I heard about how you beat my sister. Four broken ribs. A dislocated shoulder. A hairline fracture in her jaw and teeth missing.” His eyes snap between Yuki and me. “Did I leave anything out?”
“Don’t, Ryo. Augusto thought I was you, and it’s in the past. Stop bringing it up.”
“Yuki was starving when she was given to me. She collapsed, and it took three weeks to get her healthy again. For three days, it was touch-and-go. Honestly, that first night I wasn’t sure she was going to make it, but she’s fucking strong and pulled through.”
Ryo’s jaw clenches with anger as he asks Yuki, “Is this true?”
“Yes. I had to lose weight really fast,” she admits. “The three months before the wedding were so much worse.” She waves herhand over the living room. “This life Augusto has given me is everything I’ve ever wanted and so much more.”
When she places her hand on my thigh, I trail my fingers over her forearm, soaking in the feel of her soft skin.
I lean into her and press a kiss to the side of her head before I look at Ryo. “I’ll go with you to Tokyo and help you take down your father, but I want Yutaro.”
“What will you do with him once you have him?” Ryo asks.
“I’m going to starve him.”
Ryo nods, a cruel gleam creeping into his eyes. “Make sure to pull all his teeth, so he can’t bite off his tongue or chew through his wrists.”
I actually like the idea a lot, and grinning, I reply, “Thanks for the recommendation.”
“Seriously? You’re bonding over planning Yutaro’s death?” Yuki lets out a chuckle. “Men.”
We’re all quiet for a moment, then Yuki suddenly jumps up, and running out of the living room, she calls out, “Be right back.”
As soon as I see her dart up the stairs, I lock eyes with Ryo. “Try a stunt like today again, and I’ll fucking rip your throat out with my bare hands.”
He stares at me long and hard, then asks, “Do you really love, Yuki?”
“Yes.”
He nods and glances around the living room, then leaning his forearms on his thighs, he looks at his hands. “I only want what’s best for my sister.”
“That’s something we can agree on.”
Lifting his eyes to me again, I see the worry written on his face. “If things don’t work out between the two of you, return her to me rather than fuck around behind her back.”
“I’ll never cheat on my wife,” I grind the words out through clenched teeth.
He lets out a heavy breath. “Yuki is the only thing that kept me alive. If you make her happy, then I guess I can accept things as they are.”
