Page 148 of Maddening Fixation

The moment the door slammed shut, he turned to me.

Disbelief flickered across his face.

His brows drew together ever so slightly.

“What are you doing?”

I met his icy stare, refusing to look away despite the fear knotting my stomach.

“You’re not leaving me in that house alone, Romeo.”

My fingers tightened around the edge of the seat.

“I refuse to be treated like a prisoner.”

A muscle worked in his jaw.

His patience was beginning to wear thin.

“I’m meeting the Chicago outfit to finalize an arms deal,” he said, shifting the car into gear but not moving yet.

His gaze remained hard.

“It could get bloody. You think I’m treating you like a prisoner? My empire is hanging by a thread right now. Too many of the Flynn remnants are searching for a soft target to use against me. As my wife — contract or not — you are that target. Go back inside. Now.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“You actually expect me to believe you’re worried about my safety?”

Romeo’s expression remained stone-cold.

“If you died,” he replied without emotion, “I’d lose access to my inheritance.”

His gaze remained fixed ahead.

“So don’t mistake practicality for concern.”

The words hit harder than I’d expected.

He looked at me again.

“Get out before I remove you myself.”

The tears I’d fought all night finally won. They slipped silently down my cheeks.

“No.”

The word barely came out.

I shook my head. “No...”

The thought of returning to that silent bungalow—to those empty rooms that already felt like a mausoleum—made my chest tighten until I could barely breathe.

I looked straight at him.

“If you want me out...”

My voice broke.