“Tatiana,” he says with a growl, a warning, raising his hand.
I step out of his reach and show him the necklace. “I remember, Dante. I remember everything.”
Something dark settles in his eyes, something twisted. But his tone lacks emotion. “That’s what sparked it.”
I don’t have to ask what he means. It was a statement, not a question.
“It’s always been about the necklace.” Wetness runs over my cheeks even though I’m not cognizant of crying. “Has it ever been about me?”
He drops his hand and curls his fingers into a fist at his side. “Do you remember where it is?”
A wry smile twists my mouth. “You want it?”
The line of his jaw turns hard. “You know why I do.”
Stepping right up to him, I put us toe to toe. “This ends today, Dante.”
A muscle ticks in his temple. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” I tilt my head and hold his gaze. “I will give you what you want, what you’ve always wanted, and then I never want to see you again.”
His nostrils flare but he doesn’t utter a word.
I plow ahead, stating my demands, because this game is over. “You will set me free.”
He stares at my face with the darkness that lives inside him reflected so clearly in his eyes that I have to wonder why I haven’t noticed it every time I allowed him to take me to bed. To kiss me. To make love to me. No, that’s not making love. That’s just fucking.
“What about Noah?” he bites out. “Are you thinking about our son?”
“We’ll share custody of him.”
“Tatiana.”
My name is a command, a warning, a plea, I don’t know.
“No, Dante.” Lifting the skirt of the dress, I walk around him. “It’s over.”
And God help me, those words slay me worse than I ever thought they would.
My heart shatters like the dirty window of our past in my chest, the shards leaving cuts that will never heal. My stomach heaves, the snack I had at teatime threatening to come up, but I swallow down the bile with my tears, grab a coat, and walk to the door.
“Tatiana.” Dante comes after me. “We have guests waiting.”
I spin on him. “Fuck them. It’s tonight or never. Choose.”
I don’t wait to see what his choice will be because I know. It’s always been his choice, even when he pretended to love me.
But he never did, did he?
No. He didn’t lie. He never told me he loved me. He just used my feelings for him against me. Seducing me was a strategy, nothing but a part of his plan.
I storm down the stairs, nearly tripping over my own feet, but I don’t stop to remove my high heels.
Dante follows behind me, his breath hot on my nape. “Slow down, dammit.” He grabs my arm. “You’ll break your neck.”
I yank free. Not wanting to raise my voice and wake Noah, I say through clenched teeth, “Get your hands off of me.”
A mask drops in front of his face as he lowers his hand to his side. “Are you angry because I let you live a lie or because, despite it all, you still love me?”
