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I can feel the anger coming off of him in waves, and I don’t understand why? I’m just asking him a question. We turn the corner, about to descend the stairs when we both come to an abrupt halt.
“Dad!” I gasp, taking in my father, who is standing at the top of the staircase.
“Elena,” he greets, giving me a tight smile.
“How the fuck did you get in here?” Julian snaps, pulling me behind him.
“I think the better question is, why haven’t you told her the truth yet? Believe me, you don’t want to start a marriage built on lies. It never ends well.”
The truth? He must’ve heard our conversation.
“Like I would take any kind of marriage advice from you,” Julian sneers back.
“What truth is he talking about?” My gaze ping-pongs between them.
“The truth where he only took you from me for revenge. He doesn’t want you, Elena. He only wants to hurt me.” My father shoots daggers into Julian’s face.
“That’s not true,” I defend Julian, shaking my head. He might not be capable of loving me, but I know he cares for me and that he wants me. In his own way, he tries his best to make me happy, and he wouldn’t hurt me.
“Tell her, Moretti, tell her what this is really about. Tell her that it’s nothing but revenge for your mother.”
“Shut up, you know nothing!” Julian roars.
“What about his mother?” I feel I only know half of the story, and now I’m playing catch up. A second ticks by and then another. “Julian, what is this about? What’s going on?”
“Your father killed my mother,” Julian grits through his teeth. His hands curl into fists at his sides, the muscles tightening, the veins showing in his hand.
My eyes find my father’s, the same shade of green I see when I look in the mirror, greets me. “Dad?” I beg him to explain with that single word alone while hoping that it’s not true. I know my father has done despicable things, but I can’t see him killing Julian’s mother. It has to be a lie.
Worry creases his forehead. “Elena, I loved your mother very much. I never planned on cheating on her, but then his mother seduced me.” My father lifts a hand, pointing a finger at Julian accusingly. “She got me drunk and into bed. Tricking me into getting her pregnant. It was the biggest mistake of my life–”
“You’re a fucking liar!” Julian takes a step toward him. Feeling like I need to defuse the situation before it breaks out like a forest fire, I grab onto Julian’s arm, hoping that my touch will calm him a little.
“It’s true! She was nothing more than a common whore, who tricked and used men–”
A gasp escapes my lips when Julian rips his arm away from my hold and pounces on my dad like a lion. Rearing back his arm, he swings his fist and hits my father in the side of his face, making his head snap to the side.
I’m so shocked, I just stand there, watching the whole thing play out in front of me like a movie. Julian’s a big guy, but so is my father, and both men are throwing punches at the other, some hitting so forcefully the sounds of bones crushing fills the space… or maybe I’m just in shock and hearing things.
Where are the guards, and why can’t I move… or scream for help?
I need to do something, but my stupid body is petrified with fear.
Then I see it. In the midst of them beating each other to a pulp, my father pulls something from his pocket. Between the grunting, the limps swinging through the air, and the jerky body movements, I almost miss it.
A small silver object, the sharp edge reflected by the light shining in from the window. A knife! He has a knife.
In less than a blink of an eye, my body unfreezes, and I spring into action. My father has a knife, and he’s about to kill Julian, the man I love. I can’t let that happen. I can’t let him take this from me. Without fear or concern for my own wellbeing, I lunge a hand between them.
With my eyes on the blade, the two bodies around me become nothing more than blurred limbs. I reach out to grab it, but before I can get close enough, an elbow thrusts backward and hits me in the center of my chest.
Everything happens in slow motion. The impact sends me teetering backward, and I stumble, losing my footing. I take another step back to steady myself, only to realize that there is nothing to step on. I’m at the top of the stairs.
In the midst of the chaos, Julian’s eyes find mine, and I see something in his blue depths I’ve never seen before. Fear.
