Valentina.
“Isabella was still the better choice.”
Matteo’s body stiffened beside me. His fists clenched at his sides, his jaw hardened, and I could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.
I understood why he hadn’t told me about his father in the first place.
It wasn’t because he wanted to keep me away from him.
He wanted to keep him away from me.
Matteo’s eyes darkened, his usually calm and impassive exterior slipping away as his father’s words cut into him, into us.
If word got out that his father didn’t accept me….
The room felt suffocating, every second stretching out painfully as I waited for Matteo to tell us to leave.
When he finally spoke, each word was like a shard of ice.
“Isabella might have been the right choice for you…” Matteo started. “But she was never the right choice for me. And you know it.”
Pedro’s cold smile didn’t waver. “In terms of politics and compatibility, Isabella was the right choice. You would have learnt to love her.”
Matteo stepped forward, putting himself between me and his father. His broad shoulders blocked my view of Pedro, but I could still see the old man’s calculating eyes over Matteo’s shoulders.
Watching me.
Judging me.
Though the same blood ran through Isabella’s and my veins, Pedro would never think of me as anything but thrash.
But why?
“You will learn to respect my choice, Father. This is my family, my future. Valentina is my wife, whether you like it or not.”
Warmth wrapped around me. I was his wife. He called me his wife in front of his father.
But Pedro’s expression didn’t change. Instead, I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. Amusement? Disdain? I couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, it only seemed to spur Matteo on.
“You’ve always underestimated people,” Matteo continued, his voice gaining strength. “You underestimated me, you underestimate your family, and now you’re underestimating Valentina?”
His father’s lips twisted into a sneer. “Underestimating you?” He chuckled like the very idea of it was funny. “I overestimated you most likely. Everything is a game to you, and you don’t know how to stop playing.”
They were talking to each other like I wasn’t there. Matteo’s shoulders were so tense that it made me a little scared when he moved closer to his father.
Pedro continued. “You’re blinded by emotions. If you weren’t my eldest son…”
The implications of what he meant was left in the air. Everyone knew.
Matteo’s jaw clenched, and I could see the strain in his muscles as he fought to keep his temper in check. “You don’t get to make the same threat over and over again. No one can become the Don of the Nevarro clan but me.”
The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with unresolved issues, and unspoken words. His father stared at him for what felt like an eternity, the silence between them growing heavier with each passing second.
Then, without warning, Pedro shifted in his chair, his gaze drifting to me. His eyes were cold, calculating, and I could feel the weight of his scrutiny.
“Is this what you want, Valentina?” His voice was quieter now, but no less intimidating. “A man who is still unhinged because of a slight in the past.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Matteo beat me to it.
“Leave her out of this.”
Pedro’s eyebrows rose in mock surprise. “I should? I thought she was family.”
Matteo took a step closer to his father, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You have no right to speak about family.”
There was something there. Something strong enough to make Pedro falter, even just for a minute. His eyes darkened, something close to anger or regret passing over his face before it disappeared.
“What are you talking about?” Pedro asked, his voice laced with warning.
“Mom died, and it didn’t take you up to a month before you brought in your whore and bastard children.” Matteo said, each word heavy with accusation. “You didn’t even let me grieve.”
Pedro’s face hardened, his hands gripping the arms of his chair as he sat up straighter. “You needed a maternal figure to guide you….”
“She trusted you,” Matteo interrupted, his voice shaking with barely restrained fury. “She never would have believed you had another family. That your numerous trips was you cheating on her.”
The silence that followed Matteo’s words was deafening. Pedro’s face was a mask of stone, but his eyes burned with barely concealed rage.
“You think you know everything, boy,” Pedro said, his voice low and dangerous. “You think you understand the choices I had to make.”
“I understand perfectly. You are not worthy to criticize my choices.”
Everything that happened in this family was larger than what I would have ever imagined. But I couldn’t stop the hate that welled in my heart as I thought about what Matteo said.
He must have been very young when she died… and then a whole new family.
Pedro stood slowly, his frail form somehow still imposing as he faced his son. “I did what was necessary to keep this family alive. You’re too young, too arrogant to see that.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Matteo turned to me, his expression softening slightly. “We’re done here.”
I allowed him grab my hand and lead me out of the room. Following him was a sacrifice I had to make, my heart pounding in my chest as we walked down the long, silent hallway.
But just before we got to the exit, something caught my eye.
Luca, Matteo’s half-brother, was standing near the front door, leaning casually against the wall as though he had been waiting for us.
“Had a good talk with dear old pops?” Luca asked with a smirk, his eyes flicking between Matteo and me.
Matteo ignored him, his grip on my hand tightening as he tried to pull me toward the door.
But Luca’s voice stopped us in our tracks.
“Trust no one, Valentina.”
He had said it so casually that it wouldn’t have meant much if not for the fact that I had received a similar warning months back.
Matteo froze for a second, his body going rigid beside me. I glanced up at him, but his expression was unreadable. His mask was in place.
“Leave my wife alone, Luca. Stay away from my family.”
The wicked gleam in Luca’s eyes just seemed to shimmer, his smirk widening. “But she’s so fun. And if she’s smart enough, she would find what’s missing is right under her nose.”
I had no idea what he meant when he said that.
I had no idea if I even wanted to know.
But I did want to leave that place.
“Our date went well.” I said the moment we were back in the car, taking a quick glance at the brooding Matteo who held unto the steering wheel like he was ready to break it.
He didn’t respond.
And I didn’t say anything again.
“Trust no one, Valentina.”
Those words kept on following me.