My fists clenched uselessly at my sides, nails biting deep into my palms as I fought the instinct to flinch.
“Let me refresh your memory, Vin—since you seem so determined to rewrite it.”
My voice hardened.
“Fourteen hours. That’s how long we were trapped in that cave.”
I held his gaze, refusing to look away.
“I tore my own shirt to stop your bleeding. I held your head in my lap while you drifted in and out, and I kept you talking—jokes, stories, anything—because if you went quiet, you were going to die.”
The word landed between us, heavy and undeniable.
“And now?” My lips pressed into something colder. “Now you want to turn me into a stand-in for a man I didn’t choose, for sins I didn’t commit.”
A quiet, humorless breath left me.
“No.”
I leaned in.
“You don’t get to break me to settle your score.”
My eyes didn’t waver.
“Because I’m not helpless, Vin.”
A pause. Then, softer—but far more dangerous:
“I was trained to kill before you ever learned to hate this well.”
Silence stretched.
“The CIA may have buried me. The world may think I’m dead. But I’m still very capable of putting bodies in the ground if I have to.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
For a long, unbearable moment, Vincenzo simply stared, a predator savoring the sight of his prey testing the limits.
Then, almost imperceptibly, he took two measured steps back, creating the illusion of distance.
“I do not give a fuck if you’re CIA, FBI, Secretary of War, or the damn President.” He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “Titles mean nothing in my territory. This is Italy. You will forget who you were—and accept the reality you live in—or your pain will be unbearable.”
He strode to the desk, lifting a thick, folded paper.
He studied the drawing with a slow, almost predatory admiration before turning his piercing gaze back to me.
“As my new wife, you will learn the basics immediately.”
His tone was flat. Businesslike. Devoid of warmth.
Every word a decree. “First things first—Violet will not live under this roof with me.”
I stared at him, incredulous.
Is she supposed to live here with him?
He abandoned her himself—she’s not part of his life.
