His voice grows firmer. “And for you. There’s no woman I wouldn’t sacrifice in an instant. No man I wouldn’t tear apart without hesitation. You’re mine. You’re the throne that was promised to me. You’re the proof of my victory. I’d sell my soul to the devil in a heartbeat just to have you.”
I clench hard around his fingers. My eyes squeeze shut as my head collapses against his chest. I press my hand over my mouth, desperately trying to cage the cries of ecstasy. His thumb finds my clit, adding a maddening rhythm that sends me hurtling toward the edge.
“You were made for me,” he whispers against my ear. “This pussy was made for my cock. You were created to writhe beneath me, to moan and cry out, to shed tears of pleasure.”
My hand presses harder against my lips, muffling my moans as I tumble off the edge of the cliff. I’m drowning in wave after wave of pleasure. As the storm subsides, his arms wrap tightly around me, holding me close as if to keep me from collapsing. My arms circle his torso, and I rest my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
A wave of self-loathing washes over me. How could I let him have this kind of control over me? One snap of his fingers, one touch, and he owns me completely.
Eventually, he pulls back, taking a step away. As he wipes my release from his hand with a handkerchief, he says with maddening calmness, “Don’t get too close to her. With your hormones all over the place, you might slip up.”
I smooth down my skirt, trying to regain my composure. “If we leave her behind, Carlo will kill her for. Or worse.”
He tucks the handkerchief into his pocket. “Don’t bring this up again. Don’t even think about it. This is on me. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You just need to play along, and remember this. Maybe your father promised not to harm your brother, but I didn’t make you any such promise.”
Before I can respond, he takes my hand, and leads me toward the dining room.
***
Emily is sweet and full of life. Stunning, with deep black eyes and dark hair framing her face. Unlike me, quiet and reserved, she has that bright, lively American energy.
A few days after she arrived, she started messaging me, asking me to go out with her. Tony leaves the house early every morning, entrusting her to Rafael’s care. For several reasons, I can’t join her, and I can’t bring myself to get close. For one, Carlo’s absence and the lack of his permission confine me to the house. And on the other hand, just looking at her fills me with a wave of guilt. Tony has manipulated her, lured her here with empty promises, and plans to leave her here to the wolves.
I’ve spent hours trying to figure out how to help her. But who am I kidding? I don’t even have control over my own life.
From my bedroom window, I see her wandering aimlessly through the garden. I suppress the knot of guilt tightening in my chest and decide to do my part as a host, if only for a brief conversation. As soon as she spots me, a radiant smile spreads across her face.
“Good morning, Lucia,” she says warmly.
I step beside her and return her smile with one of my own. “Good morning, Emily. I saw you walking from my window. If you’d like, we can take a walk together.”
“Of course, I’d love that.”
We stroll through the lush rows of greenery.
“I’m so tired of shopping and going out alone,” she says. “I thought I’d spend today at home instead. But Tony, as usual, left early in the morning, and I doubt he’ll be back before tonight.”
She falls silent for a moment before continuing, “I don’t understand why he brought me here if he’s going to leave me alone all day. And now your birthday party has been postponed too.”
“I’m sorry if I disrupted your plans. The party was delayed because Carlo’s work trip was extended.”
She offers me a quick smile, her tone hurried. “Oh, there’s no need to apologize. It’s not your fault. Honestly, I’m just not used to being alone. This lifestyle is quite unfamiliar to me. To be fair, my best friend Jill isn’t entirely innocent in this. She’s a ball of energy, and years of being around her have made it hard for me to handle solitude and silence.”
I stop walking and turn to face her. She halts too, her expression curious.
“The truth is, I wanted to apologize for turning down all your invitations. It’s not because I don’t want to spend time with you. The reality is, I’m not allowed to leave the house without my husband’s permission,” I explain with a touch of shame.
Her eyebrows lift slightly, looking at me in total disbelief. I can see how strange it must sound to her, that in this day and age a woman needs her husband’s approval to leave the house. After a few moments, she regains her composure, offering a warm smile as she shrugs, clearly trying to ease my embarrassment.
“There’s really no need to apologize. I completely understand. Though I won’t lie, your explanation does make me feel a bit better. I thought maybe, like everyone else in this house, you didn’t like me.”
My heart aches for her. Ever since she arrived, she’s been met with nothing but indifference and disrespect from everyone here, even Tony. It must have been incredibly hard for her.
I take her hand gently, softening my tone as much as I can. “Of course I like you. Don’t mind the others. Most people here have issues even with themselves.”
She lets out a heavy breath. “I wasn’t expecting any of this. I came to meet Tony’s family…now I realize I don’t even know him. All I can think about now is how coming here might have been a huge mistake.”
This time I can’t comfort her. Every word she said is the truth. Soon she’ll realize she made the biggest mistake of her life.
