A list of restrictions; a list of prohibitions. His rules. Max’s rules. Stupid, arbitrary, and utterly suffocating. But my rules? Those were different. Simple. Reasonable, yet essential.They consisted of a single principle: Avoid entanglement with ridiculously controlling mobsters at all costs.
Yet here I was, in a house with monogrammed towels and high ceilings.
I spent the rest of the day carefully reading through the documents Max had given me. The wedding contract took me the longest to read, just because of the legal jargon. I found myself reaching for my phone to look up terms every few seconds, which made an hour’s worth of reading take several more.
Max made himself scarce all weekend. He worked a lot, it seemed. So be it. I had this house all to myself for the most part.
The last bit of my weekend was spent doing the mundane. Unpacking. A task that seemed trivial yet needed to be done. Dimitri had brought all my boxes inside, most of which my things had just been thrown into.
I carefully positioned the souvenirs from my momma’s childhood. I even managed to find a place for all my magazines. Each item, carefully placed and arranged, felt like a tiny act of defiance. I found a spot for every single one of my plants, their green leaves a splash of life in this hell.
But no matter how many things I had, nothing could hide the fact Max lived here. Not my flimsy curtains, and certainly not my nana’s broken dishes.
She would rue the day she met Dimitri.
CHAPTER 29
ROSALIE
By the time Wednesday rolled around, Max was ready to have the contract back, and he wanted it signed by tonight.
The phone he gave me buzzed in my pocket, demanding my attention. I took it out, seeing I had a message from him. He’d already tried to call me three times today. I hadn’t answered a single one.
His name on the screen was a reminder of the reality I was tethered to. Quickly, I renamed his contact “Lucifer.”
Much better.
Lucifer
Have you made any progress?
Me
Hello to you too. My day is good, how is yours?
Lucifer
Spare me the conversation, Rosalie. If you wanted to tell me about your day, you would’ve answered my calls. Have you read the contract any further?
Me
Oh, I’ve read it. And I’ve got a few adjustments in mind.
Lucifer
Adjustments?
Me
Don’t worry. Nothing outrageous. Just a few …clarificationson your “terms.”
The phone vibrated a few seconds later.
Lucifer
I’m on the edge of my seat.
Me
