Francesca rushes out as well and I see her run down the hallway after him.
All that’s left in the dining room is his mother and me.
I’m finishing my wine, knowing damn well that I need it in order to relax and hopefully get a good night’s rest. His mom has finished eating, but her attention is on me and it’s making me feel out of place.
I finish off my wine and then stand, deciding to leave immediately. As I push my chair in, she calls after me.
“Wait…” She stands up slowly, and her gray hair sways as she comes in my direction. When she’s less than a step away, she grips my shoulders and looks me dead in the eyes. “I wanted to wait until he was gone to say this. Listen to me closely.” Her eyes are just as brown as his, but much gentler.
“Give yourself to him if you want to survive. It is that simple. Don’t be stubborn. All he will do is knock that stubbornness out of you and then get rid of you once he feels like he’s won.” Her head shakes as she sighs. “My son can be hard to handle and even harder to seek compassion with, but he is that way for a reason. He may seem cold, but if someone can dig deeper, touch his soul, maybe…well, maybe he will change.”
“Change?” I spit. “How can he ever change? He killed my husband. He took my wedding ring and it was all I had left.” I yank away from her and her eyes spread wide. “I can’t forgive him. Your son? He’s a monster and you know it. He doesn’t have any compassion. He’s heartless and cruel and there is no changing someone like him.”
“That’s what you think, but you don’t know him.” She waves a hand. “He admires you a lot more than you think. He has been talking to me about you. And about your father.”
I narrow my eyes and pause before speaking again. “You knew my father?”
“Sí…I knew him well enough. Your mother too. He was a good man, and that man is the only reason you are alive right now. So do as I say. Give yourself to him—all of you—and don’t hold back. You want to get on his good side, you do as he says. You please and obey him. I would hate to see something happen to Lion’s only child. I’m sure he raised you to be smarter than this—what you’re doing now.”
Lion? How does she know that name? That name was sacred for Dad. A secret name only people that were close to him knew and understood.
I look at her…speechless.
I don’t blink.
I can hardly breathe.
She knew my parents, which means Draco knew them too. But if that were the case, why would he have his men kill Toni? Toni was close to Daddy too. Daddy trusted Toni.
“Survival is key here. Maybe, if you do right by him, he will do right by you and he will let you go. He’ll know you aren’t happy sooner or later. My son has a heart in there somewhere. He tries to cover it up with his demands and his punishments, but the heart is there. Francesca has tried to win him over, but it didn’t work out for her because he doesn’t care about her…but I think that you have a fighting chance. You have potential. You are beautiful and unique and unlike Francesca, you aren’t afraid of him.”
“No,” I say boldly. “I’m not.”
“Then you are already one step ahead. Think of it this way: your obedience could mean your freedom.” She turns her back to me after that, leaving her words in the air.
When she’s long gone, I stand still, my eyes trained on the floor.
The sad thing is, she’s right. And I know it, but my pride is too damn thick for me to see through it right now.
If I don’t drop this pride—if I don’t at least try—I won’t win.
He knows it. I know it. Everyone knows it.
I walk out of the dining room and make way for the stairs. When I’m inside my bedroom, I unzip the dress and step out of it. I walk to the closet and take down a nightgown.
But it’s as I brush my teeth that I finally know what I need to do.
What I should have done all along.
The signs have been there.
The way he tiptoes past my bedroom late at night.
Making Francesca eat me out in his art gallery for his pleasure.
Kissing me so deeply he could feel my orgasm riding through his body.
Giving me her seat at dinner.
Tracking me so I can’t escape or leave unless he wants me to.
Punishing me severely when I’ve done wrong. Rewarding me handsomely when I’ve finally done right.
In order to receive the ultimate reward—my freedom—I must do what everyone has been telling me to do. I have to do something I know I will hate.