Thinking of her always did the same thing. My pulse jumped, and the walls slammed back into place. I let out a bitter laugh, brushed it all off, and stared right into Emily’s shattered gaze.
“Let me make one thing clear. We don’t have a relationship, Emily. Ifuckyou. That’s it. Now either you come back willingly, or I drag you back myself.”
Her shoulders dropped like I’d physically hit her. Color drained from her face, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. But she blinked fast, refusing to let them fall in front of me then tossed the book onto the couch and walked toward the terrace.
She opened the door, letting the cold wind whip through the room and stood there for a few moments, gathering herself. Then she turned back to me, eyes raw but steady. “You made me a promise.”
I narrowed my eyes.“What promise?”
“You promised that when whatever we have ends, you’d let me go. So I could build a life of my own.”
I stared at her, silent, bracing for the words I didn’t want to hear.
“That feeling’s gone,” she continued. “And now I’m asking you to keep your word.”
I smirked, masking the chaos her words stirred inside me. Her innocence would’ve been funny if it didn’t piss me off. “You misunderstood me, Emily. What I meant was, when the feeling’s overfor me, I’ll let you go. Not a second before.”
Her cheeks flushed with fury. “So my feelings mean nothing to you?”
I shook my head. “Not even a little.”
She drew in a breath, her fists clenched at her sides, chest rising and falling as anger vibrated through her. Then her voice, low, controlled, deadly, cut through the room.
“Then you’ll have to drag me out of this room and rape me every time you feel like it. Because I’m telling you, seriously, and honestly, I don’t want you touching me again. I don’t even want you looking at me. That’s how I feel about you.”
She stepped closer. “You might be a powerful capo everyone’s scared shitless of, but to me, you’re nothing but a pathetic coward, too afraid to admit he wants a woman. You’re not scary, Carlo. You’re a broken man, haunted by a cheating wife who dragged your honor through the mud.”
Her words were gasoline on a fucking wildfire. Blood surged in my veins. Before I could stop myself, I lunged at her. My hand clamped around her throat as I slammed her against the wall. Rage devoured me. Blinded every rational thought.
“I told you to speak to me with respect!” I roared. “The next time you disrespect me, I’ll kill you!”
I squeezed harder, my voice a savage snarl. “I swear to God, I’ll fucking kill you!”
Then, reality jolted back. Her face had turned dark. The veins in her forehead were bulging. She trembled beneath my grip.
What the fuck am I doing?
I released her abruptly, stumbling back as she collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. My chest heaved with fury still burning inside me, and before I could stop myself, I bellowed, “Aida!”
A few seconds later, she appeared in the doorway, a bedsheet carelessly wrapped around her body.
“You’ve got ten minutes to shower and be on my bed,” I barked at her.
She turned and walked away quickly.
Emily lifted her head slowly, hatred burning in her eyes. It sliced through me deeper than any knife. She was the one who’d been beaten, but I was the one who felt humiliated.
“You think I’m so desperate for you that I’d stoop to this?” I spat, venom thick in my voice. “You think I need toforceyou to fuck me? Me? I could snap my fingers and have a hundred supermodels in my bed. And you think I needyou? You think you’re going to play hard to get with me? Set fucking conditions forme?”
She got to her feet. Her body trembled, but her pride stood tall. Her voice was ice. “Get out of my room.”
Her words stopped me cold. I was pinned in place, those five words echoing through my skull. Then I turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind me. I couldn’t stand the hatred in her eyes anymore.
The moment I walked out of her room, Aida was gone from my mind. I left the house and didn’t return for a week. I wish to God I never had.
TWENTY-FOUR
Emily
