I don’t respond because she already knows my answer.
“Marco, please. Please don’t kill him.”
“Your brother is trouble. I will do what I have to do. As long as your father keeps your brother under control, we won’t have a problem. I promise.”
“Is your word any good?”
I look at her sharply. “I saved your life, didn’t I?”
“Doesn’t make you a good man. You said it yourself: you’re not one.”
“I will not beat you, Ciara. I will not hurt you because of your brother. But if he cannot stop, then I will not allow myself to be killed because of him.”
“Even if it breaks your alliance with my father?”
“Yes. I will not die for anyone.”
She ducks her chin, staring down at her lap for a long moment. “Not even for me?”
Her question startles me. It’s one I’ve never been asked before. Would I be willing to die for Ciara? I know I would save her life given the chance but to die for her? That’s an entirely different thing.
I can’t respond.
She nods, a resoluteness in her eyes. “Got it. Well, I wouldn’t be willing to die for you either. There’s no love between us and I doubt there ever will be. I never wanted this marriage.”
“Did you want me dead?”
Her eyes widen and her lips part. Her pretty, pink lips. I didn’t get the chance to kiss them when we said our vows. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because you’re close with your brother. I wasn’t sure if you also wanted me dead. It’s obvious that Cormac tried to kill me on multiple occasions. First the poisoning and then the men at the club.”
“Cormac said that wasn’t him.”
“And you believe him?” I look her down until she lowers her eyes. “Cormac wants me dead. The question is: do you? I never thought you would, seeing as you’re a woman. Most women don’t have that kind of hate in their hearts.”
“You don’t know most women then,” she snaps.
“Answer my question, Ciara.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“Then that tells me everything. The fact that you can’t deny it means you wanted me dead, didn’t you? We’re married now. Might as well be honest with each other.”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine. I wanted you dead. I didn’t want to marry you and I thought it was the only way. Cormac offered and…”
“And you agreed to it.” I nod. “I see. Well, now I know who to trust and who not to trust. And I know to not trust you.”
“I don’t trust you either. You want my brother dead.”
“Only because he wants me dead. I would never want to kill him otherwise. And I won’t kill him as long as he stays away from me. But the problem is: we’re married. I can’t stay away from my wife forever.”
“You’re one to talk. I am not the bad guy here. I’m just an innocent woman who was forced to play the game my father wanted. I was willing to do whatever it took to get out of it. But that doesn’t make me in the wrong.”
“I know it doesn’t and that’s the problem. You believe you were in the right to want me dead. You have conviction. That’s why I don’t trust you, wife. We’ll be married in name only but we will live separate lives.”
“That’s fine by me. I don’t want to be around you anyway,” she says with a shrug, turning away from me. It makes the dress around her cling to her body more.
“So you won’t try to kill me now?”
