“Y-yes.” She whimpers.
Good.
Then, with great restraint, I step back and watch her scamper out of my presence, wobbling once before she regains balance. And I’m left with my thoughts.
Thoughts of what the fuck I just did…and why?
Chapter five
Isabella
My eyes trail over the same paragraph for the umpteenth time, and I still don’t understand shit. Fuck. I’m distracted…by Dominic and his shenanigans.
I hold my breath as my mind flashes back to the events of yesterday. I felt fear…in a way I never have.
How could I be scared of him and still want his hands feeling every inch of my body?
I clench my thighs together, reliving the feeling of his body against mine.
No. Memories like that are best kept at bay to avoid jumping him at any given chance. Not to mention, since I arrived, he’s been treating me like an object. A mere accessory.
And he invaded my privacy!
Embarrassment flushes my cheeks. He’d read my notes—the one thing I vowed to never let anyone see. Because as psychotic as it sounds, that was one of the many ways I coped.
Pretending I had a boyfriend… or at least someone who cared.
Ugh. If only I’d closed the tab when I was done updating my letters to Julian.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need something?”
I whirl my head to see Sharon, the maid. Sometimes I forget she’s always beside me. But I don’t blame her, Dominic must have given her and the other staff some sort of twisted rules.
“No, why did you ask?” I say gently.
“Y-you’ve been staring at that page since, so I just thought…” she trails off, a little nervous. I recognize the look in her eyes. She’s unsure if she’s pissed me off.
I hold her gaze softly for a while. My welfare and following me wherever I go must be part of her job description.
“It’s okay,” I say, returning my eyes to the magnificent landscape in front of me.
A garden filled with beautiful flowers and a few lush, full trees. It feels like the embodiment of peace. Like a little getaway, even within the mansion.
Cool evening breeze blows, swaying the swing I’m sitting on. The finely polished piece of wood creaks below my weight, and as I continue to take in the scenery, thoughts of Father come crawling back.
I let out a deep sigh, reaching into my pocket to bring out the bracelet my father gave me. The conversation is still fresh in my mind. Forgiveness?
After all these years of heartbreak and vile treatment, I’m just expected to forgive? I’m expected to forgive the man who made me hate my very existence? The man who ruined me even before the world could?
I wonder what Melanie’s stance is on this. Will she come running for forgiveness, too?
And what about Elena? Which makes me think, where is she right now? Who’s she with? And is she happy with how all of this turned out?
But of course it ends well for her. It always does.
She gets to be treated nicely by our parents and also gets a free ticket out of marrying this cold-as-stone mafia king. She just always has it so damn easy.
When the thoughts start to get overwhelming, I adjust my glasses and focus my attention on the romance book I’m reading.
