The boy starts to cry.
“Alessio, I’m sorry,” I say.
“Don’t be sorry about how you feel,” Alessio says. “But I will say this. You didn’t have to tell me you loved me last night. I never asked for it.” His voice is rising. Alessio is holding on to his control by a thread.
“I didn’t lie about that.”
“That?” He tilts his head. “Was there something else youdidlie about?”
For a crazy second, I’m tempted to tell him everything. The burden of all the lies, all the lives I’m trying not to endanger, weighs heavily on me. Maybe he could find a way to help my family. But what if I’m wrong? What if they kill him too?
I need to get a hold of myself. “I can’t… I can’t. I can’t marry you.” I can’t tell you anything. I’m terrified they’ll execute my family. I’m terrified they’ll execute you and Leo.
“You won’t!” Alessio shouts. “Say that you won’t. Say,Alessio, I don’t want to marry you.You’re a fucking monster. You’re not lovable.Say it!”
I jump at his sharp tone and gasp, “I can’t.”
“You can!”
I turn and yank the door open. Leo grabs my hand. I try to tug away, but he’s strong.
“Leo, come back here,” Alessio commands.
“Lake is for me. Lake is for me! She’s my governess. You said she was for me. You ruin everything!” Leo screams at Alessio as he tries to drag me back into the suite.
Alessio picks him up. Leo screams at the top of his lungs and kicks his feet.
Alessio manages to restrain Leo. To me, he says, “I never want to see or hear of you again. Take your passport and get out. I’ll burn all your clothes.”
FORTY
I DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING
Lake
Alessio disappears into the suite and closes the door. Leo’s screams penetrate through it and into my heart. I stand there without a full understanding of what just happened. I need a minute to process the fact that Alessio proposed to me.
I didn’t see that coming.
Suddenly, I’m angry that he never brought it up. Why did he never speak to me about how serious we were, how he felt about me?
But Alessio is an all-or-nothing kind of man. You either marry him or get out of his life. This is why Val was shocked that Alessio and I did it in the hotel. She knew he wouldn’t break his rules for anyone he didn’t really like. And I mean like enough to want to marry.
The sadist knew that too. It’s why they moved on me.
I make a fist and wish I had the balls to pound on the door and tell Alessio how I feel about him and his proposal. If he were less arrogant, maybe he’d have given me a heads-up. Not that the end result would matter, because I couldn’t have said yes and also lied to him about one of the most secret unions anyone can make in their lifetime.
Unlike family, we choose our marital partners.
He chose me. And I chose him. But he doesn’t know I’m a liar and that I have to go and betray his confidence, and that it’s probably a good thing he threw me out because now they can’t use me against him.
The way I protected my little brother, I must protect Leo too.
I walk toward the elevator.
The security guards outside follow me. When the hallway tilts, the man grabs my elbow.
“Steady, now,” he says, then releases me.
