My face blanched from shock, my mind in confused turmoil at so many new bombshells. "What? I had no idea. Dad never told me."
He shook his head. "No, and he wouldn't have. Not when there was no longer any need to. You see, Alessio agreed to the new deal. He was more than happy for us to pay the higher price." His dark brows pulled together as he recounted his tale. "But then Alessio asked to meet you, and after that, he backed out of the new plan, instead agreeing to the marriage."
My mouth dropped open. I was rendered speechless by this reveal. What in the world?
"I don't know what happened, but I figured some sort of love at first sight occurred." He glanced at me expectantly, as if I had the secret to Alessio's inner workings.
"Look. I don't know why my son is acting foolish. I don't know why he hasn't told you that he loves you. I don't know why he is being so stubborn. I can only assume it's because he has very poor examples of marriage. My marriage to his mother, all my other wives…Christ, even Giada's husband is having an affair with his personal assistant." He shot me a sharp look. "Donotrepeat that."
I shook my head. Of course I wouldn't, although I wasn't surprised.
"I will say no more," Cesare said, as he rose from his seat. I scrambled upright, my legs feeling like jelly. "I came here hoping to put an end to a marriage that I was sure would make you bothmiserable in the future. But I can see that I couldn't be more wrong—and more grateful to be so!"
Renewed hope bloomed in my chest. I stopped Cesare before he walked to the door. "Can I ask you something? Were you…areyou faithful to Katherine?"
Cesare's large frame stiffened, and shame crept over his features. "Not at first," he softly confirmed. "I love her, but I always assumed she married me for status and wealth. She left me for three miserable months, and I quickly realised what a fool I'd been to assume that she would be like all my other women. I wised up fast, and luckily she forgave me." His smile was sad, and I could feel the depths of his regret. "There will be no other woman for me but my Katherine."
He paused, his eyes lifting to me. "And I know my son feels the same about you."
Chapter 14
Alessio
Istared at the open text thread, willing myself to actually send something this time.
How's your day going?
No. Delete. That message was too casual. Too flippant and out of the blue after months of tense silence and stilted, polite sentences.
Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?
I frowned before quickly checking our shared calendar. She hadn't updated her schedule for the New Year, so I had no clue how many classes she had today. The only way I knew she'd left the house at all today was because I ordered her driver, Gordon, to update me on her every movement.
He hadn't questioned my demand; his widened eyes were his only tell that the order was a little out of the ordinary. Okay, maybe a little unhinged. Why would a husband suddenly want to know every single detail of his wife's day?
Since I was kept in the dark about her schedule—on purpose—I didn't bother asking her to dinner. I doubted she wanted to spend any time alone with me anyway, and would likely stay back in class to avoid my presence.
Wouldhebe there with her if she did?
With a growl, I threw my phone aside, and my chair rolled away from me as I stood. Frustration lanced through me as I threaded my fingers at the back of my head. I strode to the large window, which offered a panoramic view of London.
What the hell was I doing?
This…brooding wasn't like me. I didn't overanalyse my actions or feel guilty for words I said or behaviour that affected others. I hadn't arrived at where I was—a successful and ruthless businessman, feared and adored by admirers and competitors alike—by considering other people's feelings.
Until Millie.
Untilmy wife.
From the moment I met her—when I first saw her photo—I felt my world shift. I knew then that my life would never be the same, and I should've bloody stopped it before it became more. Before I married her and made her utterly miserable.
But my possessive side, the side that coveted something for the first time that wasn't mine, couldn't walk away. In a move so unlike me, I married her. And I hadn't been the same since.
And now here we were…at an impasse that I had no idea how to traverse. Millie was mad at me, and perhaps rightly so.
But god damnit, I'd been trying. I told her that I wouldn't take on another mistress, I'd been carving out space for her wants and needs, I'd bought her anything her little heart desired and more. I didn't complain when she started university—even when the limited time we had together was further cut in half.
And Archie…bloody hell, I was never going to fire and kick out his parents. At least, I would like to think that I wouldn't have. It was a moot point anyway since Millie had stopped seeing him.
