“Don’t laugh at me,” she said. “You keep implying I’ll change my mind about you. Like it’s supposed to make it true.”
“It already is coming true.”
“No,” she snapped, yanking against my grip. “It’s not. I still get to decide what happens to my body. You don’t get to take that from me too.”
That was new. Not just defiance. A line. Drawn clearly.
I drank her up with my gaze. The shaking hands she was trying to hide so desperately, yet so unsuccessfully. At the anger holding her together. At the fact that even now, when she was clearly terrified, she was still pushing back.
My grip on her wrist loosened, but she didn’t pull away.
“You think this is about taking?” I said.
“What else would it be about?” she shot back.
I stepped closer. Close enough that her back pressed fully into the table. No space left now.
“Not taking,” I said quietly. “This is about inevitability.”
Her breath hitched.
“I don’t care how long it takes,” I continued. “A week. A month. The full year.”
My thumb brushed once against the inside of her wrist. Her pulse jumped under it.
“You will marry me,” I said. “When you do, after a year, you will be free to leave.”
She shook her head. “No.”
I leaned in just enough for my voice to drop. “I suggest you start thinking about how much you’re willing to lose before you agree. There are plenty of things left to take away from you.”
That hit.Hard. Her expression cracked. Just for a second.
“Your little sister, for example,” I added, almost thoughtfully. “Sienna, was that her name?”
Chiara’s entire body went rigid. “Don’t you dare.”
I watched her carefully. “Your siblings are your weak spot. We both know it.”
“You will never hurt them,” she snapped, real fear bleeding through now. “You don’t get to use them, or even say their names.”
“I don’t?” I tilted my head. “Because from where I’m standing, they’re the only thing you care about more than your pride. Which makes them… useful. A weapon, if used correctly.”
The silence between us was heavy, but she still didn’t pull back.
“You’re a monster,” she whispered. “I didn’t believe the stories, even while I was telling them. But you are every bit as bad as your reputation.”
I straightened slowly, releasing her wrist completely. “Maybe.”
I stepped back. Gave her space. Just enough to breathe. Just enough to think about the repercussions of her actions.
“But you’d better get used to the idea,” I added, adjusting my cuffs like this was just another conversation. “You have a year to change your mind.”
Her eyes snapped to mine. “I willneverchange my mind.”
I paused at the door. Looked back once. “Trust me. Once we’re there, you won’t evenwantto leave. It will be your biggest fear to lose me. And I can’t wait to show you how much you need me.”
Chapter Six: CHIARA
