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I grasped her hand, needing her to understand. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who should have protected you better." I brushed my thumb over her knuckles. "Be safe. Call me anytime if you need help."
Natalia hesitated before getting out of the car. "Will I see you again?" she asked softly.
My heart clenched. I knew the wise choice was to end this before we got in any deeper. But the thought of never seeing her again was unbearable.
"Meet me next Saturday at the Grand Royale Hotel downtown, 10pm. I'll get us a room," I found myself saying. I gave her handone last squeeze. "And I promise I won't let you anywhere near that bar again." I joked.
Natalia's eyes lit up even as she tried to look stern at my teasing. "I suppose I can forgive you just this once for the bar," she replied, a hint of her smile returning.
With a monumental effort, I then released her hand and watched her walk away, already feeling the loss. No matter the risk, I knew I would be counting the hours until Saturday night, when I could hold Natalia in my arms again.
She glanced back once at the car, her eyes full of longing and promise, before disappearing from view. A heavy feeling settled in my chest at her absence.
I watched until she disappeared down a side street, headed home to face the consequences of our shared wildness.
My chest ached thinking of Natalia in trouble because of me. I should have shown restraint instead of giving in to temptation. But it was too late for regrets. Now, I could only pray she made it back safely so I could find a way to make this right. I would do anything to keep her family's wrath from touching a hair on Natalia's head.
Natalia's POV:
I slipped through the side gate of the estate, praying I could sneak back to my room unnoticed. But as I crossed the lawn, hurried footsteps approached from behind. My heart sank.
"Natalia! Where the hell have you been?" Enzo demanded, grabbing my arm roughly. Before I could respond, my father stormed over, face livid.
"Do you have any idea how worried we've been?" he shouted. "You can't just disappear without a word!"
I stammered helpless apologies and excuses, but my father's tirade continued. Enzo also berated me for being so irresponsible. All I could do was bow my head in shame under the weight of their anger and disappointment.
"I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but it stops now," Father lectured sternly. "No more wandering off alone. You clearly can't be trusted. Two guards will accompany you anytime you leave home."
My head shot up in dismay. "What? You can't be serious..." I trailed off at my father's expression. He was absolutely serious.
"This is for your own protection," Enzo added gruffly. "It's clear you need extra supervision and security."
I quickly tried to think up an excuse. "I just went for a drive to clear my head-"
"Don't lie to me!" Father thundered, standing up. "I know you've been sneaking out constantly to God knows where. Lately you've been different. Rebellious. Rash."
I lifted my chin defiantly, resentment simmering inside me. "Maybe I'm just tired of being trapped in this mansion constantly guarded. I need freedom-"
"Freedom to do what?" he interrupted. "To make foolish choices that could get you killed? You are my only daughter, Natalia. It's my job to protect you, even if you don't want protection."
His words stoked my frustration into anger. "But you don't just protect me, you smother me!" I yelled. "I'm not allowed to do anything normal girls my age do. No friends, no going out, no adventures. Just endless rules and security. It's no way to live!"
Father's expression darkened dangerously. "You are not like normal girls. You are a Moretti. You have a duty to this family that comes before reckless teenage impulses. It's time you start acting responsibly instead of this childish rebellion."
The contempt in his tone ignited my fury. "This isn't just teenage rebellion. You don't care about what I need at all! You just want your precious mafia princess doll to control."
"Watch yourself, young lady," Father warned.
But I was too far gone to back down. "Well I'm done being your perfect doll! If you won't give me room to breathe, I'll find it myself from now on. I don't need your permission."
As soon as the reckless words left my mouth, I saw the flash of rage cross Father's face and regretted them instantly. In a steely voice, he pronounced "You are confined to this house until you can learn respect and obedience again. Guards will be posted at your door day and night."
Horror washed over me. "What? You can't..." I searched his stony expression for any sign of mercy but found none. Biting back a sob, I turned and fled up the stairs to my room, throwing myself on the bed in tears. I had traded a few thrilling moments of freedom for an even tighter prison. When would I stop making things worse?
My eyes filled with frustrated tears. I had known there would be consequences, but this felt like a punishment, a stripping away of what little freedom I had.
Most of all, my heart ached imagining telling Leonardo our affair would be impossible now. No more stolen moments or risky rendezvous. Just my family's suffocating protection, my wings clipped by my own reckless actions. The price of last night's fire was my entire world up in smoke.
