Right then, I saw the opportunity to wager for peace. “They could have succeeded, you know?” I said casually, playing with the bracelets stacked on my wrist. “If you all keep up this enmity, there could be more attacks of a similar nature.”
“We’ll never let that happen to you again.” Arko glowered at me, and to my surprise, Caspian agreed with him.
“We never really thanked you, Arko,” Caspian said, looking mildly uncomfortable, but I saw him catch Dante’s encouraging wink. “For what you did for Beatrice that day.”
“It wasn’t something I had to think about,” Arko said, turning a soft look on me. “Besides, you came through for my brother.”
A quiet, introspective silence fell over the table, and I wondered, was this what peace felt like?
“Family comes first, right?” said Giovanni, smiling at me, then Arko.
“Always,” Arko agreed, as I felt my throat clench with emotions. “But do we know who came for ours?”
“We have our suspects. Could be the Novikoff’s or the Volkov’s. Could be anyone, really,” Caspian said tightly. I could tell it bothered my brother, not knowing where the enemies lay.
“The Volkovs, of course.” Arko sat up straighter. “Did I tell you about the time they chased Beatrice and me?”
As Arko started telling them about the time the men chased us into that nightclub, I was thrown back into memories of my own.
I’d never forget that night. It was the first time Arko and I had kissed, after I’d told him about my fear of fire. I thought back to how far we’d come, from him taking me in to the fear he felt when he pulled me out of the disaster at the distillery.
By the time Arko finished, my brothers were all leaning forward. “It could be them,” Federico said what was on everyone’s mind.
“Or we could be wrong,” Arko reminded them, in that cautious way of his.
“Whoever it is,” Caspian said, meeting Arko’s gaze. “I think it would be wise for our families to work together until we know better.”
“I agree,” said Arko. It felt like a truce had been met, at least a temporary one. As I felt the meeting come to a close, I felt my shoulders stiffen with anxiety. I was prepared, in my mind and heart, to fight my brothers all over again, certain that they would once again fight Arko to let me stay.
This time, though, I had all my answers prepared. I was planning to leave with Arko, whether they liked it or not, and I prayed they’d put a stop to expecting anything different down the line.
“Before we go further,” Arko said, cutting through my thoughts as he rose to stand, “there’s something I need to address.”
There was something serious in his tone that made me snap my neck up to look at him. His jaw clenched, and he refused to meet my eye, and that’s when I felt my heart sink.
Something told me whatever it was he was about to say wasn’t good.
“I’m letting Beatrice go,” he said, and I felt like the floor dropped out from beneath me, certain I’d misheard.
“W…what?” I managed to stammer out, while my brothers looked at each other with surprise.
Arko still didn’t look at me, and I felt my heart crack just a little. After everything that happened between us, after he let me fall in love with me, he decided to just let me go without even discussing it with me?
My head spun in circles as he continued to speak. “I’ve realized that when I took her, I took her for all the wrong reasons. Somewhere along the way, things changed, yes, but I’m seeing it clearly now that I’ve put her in repeated danger.”
“Arko!” I hissed, reaching for his hand, but he pulled away before I could touch him.
“She should be with you,” he said, nodding at Caspian. “I can’t keep her hostage anymore, and so, if needed, we can file the divorce papers in time.”
Divorce? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. His words were a shamble of a mess in my head, and I felt like my chest had hollowed out. The way he delivered this message, so cold and detached, without even discussing it with me, made no sense.
Not after everything.
“You sure about this?” Caspian asked, looking skeptical. I didn’t even let Arko respond as I leaped to my feet, forcing him to look at me.
“Last time I checked,” I nearly shrieked, “there were two people in a marriage. Don’t I have a say in this?”
Arko finally looked at me, and the pain in his eyes nearly broke me. “This is for your own good, Bea.”
