Then I ran. Literally ran like the coward I was.
Before he could see the tears blurring my vision. Before I could do something catastrophically stupid like tell him I was falling too. That hearing him say he loved me was simultaneously the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I'd ever experienced.******
I found myself in an unused parlor on the second floor, back pressed against the wall, trying to remember how to breathe properly.
He'd never fallen in love before.
Neither had I. Eighteen years on this earth and I'd never even come close. Didn't know what love was supposed to look like beyond what I'd read in novels hidden under my mattress.
But this thing with Kai—this consuming, overwhelming, absolutely terrifying thing—had to be it. Had to be what all those authors were trying to capture with their words.
The way my pulse raced when he entered a room. The way his absence felt like missing a limb. The way I'd started imagining futures that included him instead of accepting the nightmare I'd been resigned to.
Was that love?
It felt like falling off a cliff with no idea where the bottom was. Like drowning and learning to breathe underwater simultaneously. Like burning alive and finally feeling warm for the first time.
And it was going to destroy us both.
Luca appeared in the library doorway hours later after I had decided to spend the rest of my day hiding there like a coward, his presence announced by the particular quality of silence that preceded him. The kind that made prey animals freeze.
"Don Salvatore has scheduled a video call. Everyone in his office. Ten minutes."
The book I'd been pretending to read slipped from my numb fingers.
"A call?" My voice came out thin. Reedy.
"To assess your progress. Ensure things are proceeding appropriately."The way his eyes tracked my face made it clear he suspected things were proceeding very inappropriately indeed. "Don't be late."
My feet felt like lead weights as I made my way to Salvatore's office. Each step brought me closer to reality. To the cold truth behind the fantasy I'd been living.
Lia was already positioned by the window when I entered, perched on the edge of her chair like a bird ready to bolt. She offered me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Kai stood behind the massive desk, his father's desk—spine rigid, expression carefully blank. But when our gazes connected, I saw everything beneath the surface. The fury. The frustration. The same desperate helplessness clawing at my insides.
Luca claimed his post by the door. Sentinel. Watcher. Judge.
The computer screen flickered. Resolved into Don Salvatore's face—those glacial blue eyes, that calculating expression, that smile devoid of any human warmth.
"Aria. How lovely to see you."
The endearment slithered across my skin like oil. Made me want to shower.
"Hello, Don Salvatore." The lie tasted like copper. "It's good to see you too."
"I trust you're adjusting well? Learning your role?"
"Yes, sir. Mrs. Rossi has been wonderful. She's teaching me household management, event planning, staff coordination. My Italian improves daily."
All I could focus on was Kai. The way he stood utterly motionless. The tension radiating from his shoulders. The muscle jumping in his jaw as he listened to me play the obedient bride-to-be.
"Excellent. You're comfortable? Have everything you need?"
"Everything is perfect. Thank you for your concern."
Perfect. Sure. Everything was perfect except I was in love with your son and we're both probably going to die because of it.
Salvatore's attention shifted like a predator's. "Kai. Any problems? Escape attempts? Issues requiring my attention?"
