“Marco was our cousin,” I say softly.“Family.Someone I was supposed to be able to trust.”
“I remember.”
Of course she does.Isabella was there for the aftermath, when I had to systematically dismantle Marco’s reputation and position to protect my own.When I had to prove to Father and the entire Syndicate that I was stronger and more ruthless than Marco, who’d tried to replace me.
“I told him things.”My reflection stares back at me, pale and haunted.“About my plans for our operations.About the deals I was negotiating.About my vision for the family’s future.He was my advisor, my confidant.I trusted him completely.”
“And he used that information against you.”
“He positioned himself as my superior.Went to Father behind my back and suggested I was too emotional, too soft, too female to handle the responsibility I’d been given.”My hands curl into fists against the glass.“He took every vulnerability I’d shared and weaponized it.”
“But you destroyed him.”
“I had to.”The memory still tastes bitter.“I had to prove I was harder and colder and more calculating than anyone ever gave me credit for.I had to show Father, and everyone else, that trusting me was Marco’s mistake, not mine.”
Isabella moves to stand beside me at the window.“And you’ve been building walls ever since.”
I nod, unable to speak around the tightness in my throat.
“Serena.”She touches my shoulder gently.“You’re building those walls to protect yourself from being hurt.I understand that.But walls also keep out love and connection.They keep out everything that makes life worth living.”She pauses.“Be careful you don’t build them so high that even Shelby can’t reach you.”
Shelby can’t reach you.
The words echo in my mind as I stare out at Boston’s glittering skyline.The problem is, Shelby Boyle has already reached me.That’s what terrifies me most.
This morning, he looked at me with those gorgeous blue eyes and agreed to my insane plan without demanding anything in return.His gesture made something crack inside my carefully constructed armor.A hairline fracture, small but significant.Dangerous.
“I can’t afford to let him get close to me,” I whisper.“Not really.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s too powerful.Too controlled.Too willing to use anything for advantage.”I list the reasons like a litany, trying to convince myself.“And even if he’s different than other men, even if he’s honorable the way Joe says he is...”I hesitate to put my fears into words.
My sister doesn’t let me off the hook.“What?”
I turn to face Isabella.“I’m marrying Shelby to escape Father’s trap.Once this threat is over, Shelby will walk away.Why wouldn’t he?”
“Maybe because he might want to stay.”
I shake my head.“Why would he?Why would any man choose to stay with a woman who comes with a father like Giovanni DiLorenzo attached?A woman who?—“
“Stop.”Isabella grabs my shoulders.“Listen to yourself.You’re writing the ending before the story even begins.You’re so convinced everyone will betray you that you’re building in the betrayal before it happens.”
“It’s called being realistic.”
“It’s called being afraid.”Her voice softens.“And I get it.After Marco, after everything you’ve had to survive in this family, I understand why trust feels impossible.But Serena, if you go into this marriage with your walls already built, if you refuse to even consider the possibility that Shelby might be different, then you’re guaranteeing this ends exactly the way you fear it will.”
Her words land with uncomfortable accuracy.I pull away and refill my wine glass, needing something to do with my hands.
“You think I should trust him.”It’s not a question.
“I think you should give him a chance to prove himself trustworthy.There’s a difference.”Isabella leans against the island, watching me carefully.“You don’t have to trust him immediately.You don’t have to tear down all your walls overnight.But maybe...maybe you could leave a door ajar, you know?Just one.And see if he’s gentleman enough to knock before entering.”
I sip my wine, considering.The logical part of my brain screams that this is dangerous.That vulnerability equals destruction.That the smart move is to keep Shelby at arm’s length emotionally while using him strategically.
But there’s another part of me, smaller and quieter and far more dangerous, that whispers:what if.
What if Isabella is right?What if Shelby Boyle really is different?What if I could let him in, just a little, without destroying myself in the process?
