Valentina.
The sound of my palm against Matteo’s cheek rang through the air, loud enough to compete with the distant rumble of thunder. For a brief moment, satisfaction flared in me as his head snapped to the side, the imprint of my hand already blooming red on his skin.
This was the second time I was slapping this man.
But this time, the satisfaction was fleeting.
“Don’t you dare talk about Isabella that way,” I hissed, my voice trembling. “You don’t know anything about her… about us!”
His head turned slowly, the anger I expected absent from his expression. Instead, there was something else… something dark and mocking that made the small victory I felt earlier sour in my stomach.
“You’re right,” Matteo said, his tone too calm. “I don’t know everything about her. Or you. But I know enough.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could speak, Reed stepped forward. I hadn’t even realized he’d moved closer, his tall frame towering in the background like a storm cloud.
“Enough,” Reed said, his voice low. “This isn’t the time or place for this.”
“Did anyone say you can speak?” Matteo snapped, his mask of calm cracking as he turned to Reed. “You’re being a pest. Go away.”
What?
He didn’t just speak to Reed that way.
But Reed’s smirk only widened. “Your wife came to me for help, so I can’t go away.”
My fists clenched at the way Reed said “wife” like it was some cruel joke. Everyone here knew I wasn’t Matteo’s wife in any way. I wanted to scream at both of them, to tell them they were acting like children while my life spirralled out of control.
I didn’t get the opportunity to gather my thoughts because Matteo turned his attention back to me.
“You’re coming with me,” he said, his voice sharp, cutting through the rain like a blade.
I took a step back, my heart hammering in my chest. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His dark eyes narrowed, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a humourless smile. “You can either walk to the car, or I’ll carry you.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
That was a mistake. Matteo moved so quickly I didn’t have time to react.
One moment, I was standing on the wet pavement, rain soaking through my clothes. The next, his arms were around me, lifting me off the ground like I weighed nothing.
Asshole.
“Put me down!” I screamed, pounding my fists against his back. “Matteo, let me go!”
He didn’t say a word, his grip unyielding as he carried me toward the sleek black car parked at the curb. I twisted in his arms, my frustration mounting with every step. Reed called out something… I didn’t catch the words… but Matteo didn’t respond, his focus solely on getting me into the car.
When he reached the passenger door, he yanked it open and set me down inside. I scrambled to get out, but he was faster, slamming the door shut and locking it before I could even touch the handle.
Arghhhhhh.
I glared at him through the window, fury bubbling to the surface as he rounded the hood and slid into the driver’s seat.
“This isn’t over,” I snapped as he started the engine.
“It’s over when I say it’s over,” Matteo replied, his voice as cold and unyielding as the rain that pounded against the windshield.
I folded my arms across my chest, staring out at the blurry lights of the city as they passed by. My hands trembled with adrenaline, my mind racing with thoughts I couldn’t untangle.
I hated him… hated the way he always seemed to have the upper hand, the way he acted like he owned me. But beneath the anger, there was something else. An emotion I wasn’t ready for, neither did I want it at that moment.
The silence between us was suffocating, the tension in the car thick enough to choke on. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why can’t you just let me go?” I asked, my voice quieter now, almost a whisper.
Matteo’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. He didn’t look at me, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.
“Because I can’t.”
“That’s not an answer,” I said, turning to face him. “You don’t own me, Matteo. You don’t get to decide…”
“I do get to decide,” he cut in, his voice rising. “To keep you safe, I get to decide what to do and where to keep you.”
When would he understand that I was a human who was capable of making her own decisions?
“All you’ve done is manipulate me since the day we met. Fake married me knowing I didn’t want this. Lied to me about Isabella… about everything. And now you’re dragging me back like I’m some… some possession!”
Matteo slammed his hand against the dashboard, the sudden motion making me jump. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he tried to reign in his temper.
“You don’t understand,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Then make me understand!” I shouted, my frustration boiling over. “Explain to me why you keep doing this… why you won’t let me leave, why you won’t just let me live my life!”
For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and the relentless drumming of the rain. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, almost vulnerable.
“Because letting you go finally would kill me.”
That wasn’t the answer I wanted, and he knew it.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched as if he had more words he wanted to say but couldn’t.
“Do you think I wanted this?” he finally asked, his voice low. “Any of this?”
“You wanted me,” I said bitterly. “Or rather, you wanted Isabella and settled for me.”
Matteo’s hands tightened on the wheel again, and for a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to respond. But then he turned to me, his dark eyes meeting mine.
“You’re wrong.”
The car came to a sudden stop, the tires screeching against the wet pavement. I looked around, realizing we were parked in front of his estate. My stomach twisted as memories of the place flooded back… memories of cold halls, whispered secrets, and the constant feeling of being watched.
I almost died here.
“I’m not going inside.”
“Yes, you are,” Matteo replied, opening his door and stepping out into the rain. He rounded the car quickly, opening my door before I had a chance to lock it.
“Matteo…”
He didn’t give me a chance to argue, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the car. The rain soaked through my clothes instantly, the cold biting against my skin.
“Let me go!” I shouted, struggling against his grip.
He didn’t respond, dragging me toward the front door. The heavy wooden doors swung open as we approached, revealing one of his men standing just inside. The man stepped aside, his gaze flicking to me briefly before returning to Matteo.
“Upstairs,” Matteo said, his tone holding no chance for an argument.
I glared at him, my anger reigniting as he pulled me inside. “You can’t just order me around like I’m…”
“Like you’re my wife?” he interrupted, his tone sharp.
I froze, his words cutting through me like a blade. Before I could respond, he started up the stairs, his grip on my arm unyielding.
When we reached the top, he led me down the familiar hallway to my room. Or rather, the room he’d given me. The door opened with a soft creak, and he pushed me inside before stepping in after me.
“You can’t keep doing this,” I said, my voice trembling as I turned to face him. “You can’t just…”
“I’m doing what I have to do,” he interrupted, his tone softer now.
“For who?” I asked, my voice rising. “For you? For your family? Because it sure as hell isn’t for me.”
His gaze softened for a moment, a flicker of something… regret? Pain?… crossing his features. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by the familiar mask of control.
“Get some rest,” he said finally. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
Before I could argue, he turned and left, the door clicking shut behind him. I stood there for a long moment, my chest heaving as I tried to make sense of everything.
This wasn’t what I planned when I wanted to save Matteo.