“Why keep it a secret?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “If you two were so in love, why hide it from the world?”
“We were going to tell everyone eventually. But we agreed to hide it at first, because we were worried about how her friends would react.”
“Why?”
“Because…” He trailed off and sighed, rubbing his jaw. “Well, because of me.”
“Understandable, I guess,” I muttered. The Valcourt men didn’t exactly have the best reputation on campus, despite their piles of money.
“It wasn’t just that,” he said. “Cal also thought it was… sexy, I suppose. Having a big secret romance, like something out of a movie. She had a real flair for the dramatic.”
Against my better judgment, I smiled. “That’s got to be the most Cal thing I’ve ever heard.”
Roman chuckled softly. “Yeah. It was no wonder she was so interested in all that theater stuff, right?”
“Right.” I was still smiling. “She really loved it.”
We lapsed into a momentary silence; Roman staring into space with a wistful gaze while I leaned back against the cold wall, exhaling deeply as his previous words spun in my mind.
His story about his relationship with my sister had been convincing so far, but still, I couldn't be sure he was telling the truth. After all, he could’ve manipulated Calista into falling for him and spilling her deepest secrets to him… but that didn't mean he actually felt the same way about her. It could've been some sort of twisted game for him. A way to assert power over the woman who was so unimpressed by his riches and family name.
Maybe that was even what had drawn him to her in the first place: the challenge of breaking someone who didn't instantly bow to the Valcourt legacy. And once he'd won, once he'd made her love him enough to trust him with everything, he'd disposed of her.
It would fit. Everything I knew about the Club, about men like Roman, told me they viewed people as pieces on a chessboard. Expendable. Controllable.
But then… why did his voice crack when he talked about her laugh? Why did his hands shake slightly when he mentioned her nightmares?
I looked up at him again. “My sister clearly told you all her secrets,” I said evenly. “So when did you tell her yours?”
He was silent for another few seconds. “About two months after we met, she told me about a vacation she went on as a child. She loved it there, so I surprised her with a weekend away,” he finally said. “She told her friends she was going to visit family, but really, it was just the two of us in—”
“Bar Harbor,” I said softly.
His brows rose, and surprise registered in his eyes. “How did you know that?”
“I found a hidden photo album on her phone.”
“Ah.” He rubbed his jaw and went on. “She told me all her secrets that weekend, and I told her mine. It wasn’t because I felt like I owed them to her in return for hers. It was just… I wanted her to know about me. Every single last thing. Even though I was scared she’d reject me.”
“Once she found out you were a killer, you mean?”
“Yes. But she accepted me.” He met my gaze, unblinking. “Just like I accepted her.”
I swallowed hard. “And the Selection? You told her about it that weekend as well?”
A shadow crossed his face. “Yes.”
“How did she take it?” I asked. “Was she scared?”
“No. She was just shocked,” he replied. “Even more shocked to hear that I planned on putting her name on the List when October rolled around. But she wasn’t afraid. She was excited.”
“Because you told her what it was all about. She knew it meant you intended to marry her one day.”
“Exactly. And she wanted to marry me just as much as I wanted to marry her.” He paused to draw in a shaky breath, hischest rising and falling unevenly before continuing. “I should’ve kept it to myself. Just put her name on the List, caught her quickly on the day, and explained it all once she was at the estate.”
My heart began to thump hard. “Why? What happened?”
“Well, I know the hunt can be pretty scary, even if you know it’s your future husband chasing you. So I suggested to Cal that we keep it low-key. She would wait for me in her dorm when the List went up, and I’d go there and ‘capture’ her. Safely and easily,” he said. His hands clenched into fists on his thighs. “But… she said no.”
