“Friend.”
“You mean that boy? Is that what you call him? Friend?” His eyes narrow to slits. If I’m not mistaken, I catch a glimpse of jealousy.
It momentarily throws me for a loop. I didn’t expect that.
“Boy? So, what am I? Just a girl?”
He steps closer, but I stand my ground. “Don’t push me, Emelia. Don’t. You will not like it.”
Suddenly, fear weighs me down. “What would you do? Beat me?” God, what if he did? I couldn’t bear to be with someone like that. “Is that how you would treat me?”
“What is your relationship with Jacob Lanzoro?” He holds me firm. I see now the flash of anger in his eyes.
“He’s my friend,” I answer.
“Do you fuck your friends?” he asks. My mouth drops open
“No! What is the matter with you? I told you last night that I’m a…” My voice trails off as the memory of how I was with him last night comes back to me. My cheeks flush.
“People lie all the time.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You aren’t calling him or speaking to him ever again.”
“You asshole.” The words fall from my lips. “How can you be so cruel? He’s my friend. He’ll be worried about me. He’ll come looking for me.”
I know Jacob will. He’ll find out somehow what happened, and he’ll come looking.
“If that little fucker knows what’s best for him, he’ll stay the fuck away. Wouldn’t want his blood on my hands.”
“You monster!” I cry. When he tries to grab me, I slap him across his cheek so hard it leaves a mark.
He snarls and reaches to grab me again. I jump out the way and try to break away, but he catches me, lifts me up, and throws me down onto the bed. A scream tears from me when he climbs on top of me. All I can do is hit back at him.
He catches my face, and I slap him again. This time, though, because he’s so close, my nails dig into his cheek and rake over the skin, grazing the surface.
He hisses and stares back at me in disbelief as drops of blood fall onto my dress.
I can’t believe I just did that.
“You think I’m a monster, Emelia?” he growls. “Be grateful you ended up with me.”
“Fuck you,” I shoot back. “I was going to Italy. I’m an artist. I was going to live my dream, and you took it away. How dare you tell me I should be grateful, bastardo.”
I’m surprised when he laughs. “You are naïve and foolish if you think that’s how your life was going to play out.” He grabs my hands and holds them up over my head, pinning me down so I can’t move. “At some point, he would have sold you. Your father would have sold you. I just got there first.”
“Liar!” I cry. He gets up in my face. “You liar. You forced him to do this to me. How dare you try to justify what you’ve done? You forced him and left him with no choice. Monster.”
“Yeah, maybe I am a monster. But I’m not a liar. At least I don’t double-cross my friends, and I’m not a thief.” He gets close to my face and presses his hand into my stomach.
I’m aware there are things I don’t know about my father, but since Massimo has only shown me cruelty, there’s no reason to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“You’re all the same,” I rasp, and I mean Dad too. I’m here because of him. No matter how desperate he was, I’ll never forgive him for doing this to me. “Evil all the same. Whatever you think my father is, you are the same.”
Of all the things I’ve said to him, that seems to grip him the most. I can see it in his eyes.
“I am nothing like your father. He’s the devil,” he growls.