“Because no daughter of mine should be in a place like that unless shehasto be,” he explains. “It’s embarrassing.”
The room is quiet after that, except for the fire crackling in the fireplace, as we finish our meals in awkward silence. I can feel the anger radiating off of Victoria, but I keep my mouth shut. I have to wait for the right time to bring this all to a head, and now isn’t it.
One of the servers enters the room, and Giorgio tells her, “Bring the dessert.”
Dessert is dark chocolate cake with white chocolate icing. It would probably taste delicious under any other circumstance, but I don’t fucking touch it.
Giorgio, on the other hand, scarfs down the dessert like the world is coming to an end.
And I can’t help but grin, because his worldiscoming to an end tonight.
Standing, I take my wine glass in my hand and tilt it towards her father. “Victoria told me your wishes, and I respect them. We would love for your blessing on our marriage.”
Her father cocks his head to the side and grabs his wine glass, holding it up. “And exactly what kind of family will my daughter be marrying into?”
“Well, my parents passed away when I was a child, and I’ve been alone for a long time now,” I answer. Gripping my glass tightly, I tell him, “I wasn’t always a Romero, however.”
He raises his brows as confusion floods his face.
“So, I was wondering if you would give your blessing for Victoria to be married into my given family name, the one I was born with.”
"Which is?" her father prompts.
"Rossi," I say while a smile crawls slowly across my lips.
CHAPTER 28
VICTORIA
The exchange between Damon and my father over dinner is confusing, at best. Damon looks calm, but there's a tic in his jaw and a glint in his eyes. It’s like he’s suddenly taken on this authoritative, cocky attitude that I’ve never seen before. It’s almost as if he’s talking down to my father instead of to him as equals.
I can see the disgust forming on Papa’s face as they speak without including me in the conversation.
“So, I was wondering if you would give your blessing for Victoria to be married into my given family name, the one I was born with,” Damon says.
He has a different family name? This is certainly news to me. Frowning, I stare up at Damon, expecting him to look at me or explain what he’s going on about, but he does nothing of the sort.
"Which is?" my father asks.
"Rossi," Damon tells him, his mouth stretching to a roguish grin.
Rossi.
My entire world comes to a screeching halt at the sound of that name.
At first I think I must have misheard him, but the silent exchange that's happening between him and my father right now speaks a thousand words.
Like a puzzle with missing pieces so that I couldn’t see the whole picture, everything gradually starts clicking into place.
And I slowly come to the realization that the man I've been dating…the man that proposed to me…is the same boy I loved so long ago.
"Arlo?" I ask, my voice just above a whisper.
Damon turns to me at the sound of his boyhood name coming out of my mouth.
Everything is clear to me now, and I feel…sick to my stomach. Quickly, I stand up from the table. Damon — or should I sayArlo— reaches for me, but I hastily pull away from him, knocking over my chair in the process.
"You lied to me," I say, shaking my head with disbelief. "Was it…was it all a lie?" I question, desperately wanting to know the answer. When he doesn’t give me one, I demand it. “Was it?!” I yell.
