"Let me marry her."
Enzo's voice cuts through my spiral.
Matteo goes very still.
"What?"
"Let me marry Isabella," Enzo says again, and his voice is steady. "Please, Matteo. Instead of Vittorio. Call off the wedding, tell Salvatore there's been a change, let me marry her. I'll find another way to secure the alliance. I'll handle the O'Rourkes. I'll do whatever it takes. But let me marry her, I beg you."
My heart is in my throat.
He… he wants to marry me?
Matteo stares at him for a long moment.
"No," he growls.
The word shatters something in my chest.
"Isabella won't marry Vittorio if she doesn't want to," Matteo continues, and he's looking at me now. "I won't force that. If you don't want to marry him, you don't have to."
Relief floods through me so fast I almost collapse.
"But you sure as hell won't marry someone who betrayed me either," Matteo finishes, and the relief turns to ash. "You think I'm going to hand my sister over to a man who lied to me?"
"Matteo, please—" I'm begging now, openly, desperately. "Please don't do this. I love him. I'm in love with him. You can't?—"
"I can." His voice is firm. "It’s for your own good, Isabella. You deserve better than someone who treats you like a secret."
"He didn't?—"
Matteo looks at Enzo. "You have until tonight. Pack your things and leave. If you're still here by morning, I'll have you removed by force."
"No!" I'm screaming now, "No, you can't do this! Matteo, you can't?—"
"It's done." He won't look at me.
I turn to Enzo, desperate, looking for him to fight this, to argue, to refuse to leave, but he's just standing there looking at Matteo, his face is unreadable and I can't breathe, I can't think, everything is falling apart.
"Say something," I beg him. "Enzo, please, say something."
He looks at me finally and something in his expression breaks.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I'm so sorry, Isabella."
And then he turns and walks out of the study.
Just leaves.
Leaves me standing there with Matteo and the ruins of everything we had planned.
I can't breathe. I can't see through the tears. I can't?—
"Isabella—" Matteo starts.
"Don't touch me." I back away from him, my voice raw. "Don't you dare touch me."
"I'm doing this for you?—"
