Beside me, Damiano seems to sense the change in my mood.He grabs my hand beneath the table, fingers threading through mine with quiet insistence.Then, he clears his throat and shoots his mother a mock-glare.“Mother, you’re destroying years of hard-earned reputation.”
Sophia bursts into laughter.“Ah,scusa,figlio mio, but your fiancée deserves to know what she’s getting into.”
“I already do,” I say, and squeeze his hand back.
We all laugh, and the rest of the evening unfolds like a warm, comforting dream filled with food, laughter and just enough wine to blur the sharp edges of all the lies we’re balancing on.And for a brief moment, it feels real.
* * * *
Hours later, we are driving back to his condo, the silence between us stretching thin and fragile like glass.I lean my head against the window and exhale a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“Your mother is…really sweet,” I murmur.
“She is,” he agrees, glancing at me.“You did good.”
I smile faintly, eyes on the ring still glittering on my finger.“Not as good as you.You were obviously well-prepared.”I slip the ring off and hold it out to him, the diamond catching the light from the street lamps as we pass.“Here.”
But he doesn’t take it.His jaw tightens, and his eyes stay fixed on the road ahead.“Keep it.You’ll need it later.”
The weight of those words settles over me like a shiver.“How long is your mother staying in the country?”
Damiano shrugs one shoulder.“Who knows?She comes when she wants and goes when she’s bored.”
So, more dinners.More pretending.More lies.I nod silently and slip it back on my finger, feeling like the fraud I am.
By the time we reach the condo, I’m exhausted, physically and emotionally.I don’t even know what part of tonight was real anymore.He escorts me to the elevator in silence, his hand warm at the small of my back, a gesture that makes my heart ache in ways I wish it didn’t.
At the door, he pauses.“I’ll be back later,” he says, already pulling his phone from his pocket.“Two men will be at the door, and one in the lobby.If you need anything, call me.”He leans down, brushes his lips over mine, then he’s gone, his scent, his warmth, his presence disappearing as quickly as it came.
And I am alone again.
The walls of the condo feel bigger at night, the silence more oppressive.I curl up on the couch and stare at the city lights through the windows.My thoughts spiral.
Is he meeting someone?
The rumors echo through my mind…whispers of beautiful women always on his arm, none staying long.He never holds on to anyone—that is what they say.Maybe I am another placeholder and he is already losing interest.
I tell myself that it shouldn’t matter.That it’s better this way.But then why does it feel like something inside me is breaking?I crawl into bed long after midnight, exhausted and hollowed out.At some point in the night, the mattress dips behind me and the familiar heat of his body slides in next to mine.Wordlessly, he wraps an arm around me and pulls me close, anchoring me to him in the dark.
I don’t say anything.Neither does he as he brushes feather-light kisses over my shoulder.
In the morning, he’s gone again, leaving only memories like a lingering dream.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lily
The next morning, I am alone in the condo, feeling bereft and untethered, when the front door opens and Sophia comes in with two large men in tow.They must be her bodyguards.As much as seeing her sends a jolt of joy through me, I can’t stop my annoyance at the thought that she can open the damn door whenever she wants while I am kept in here like a prisoner.Not that I would let her know that I am trapped in here.What is wrong with me?I groan internally
“Lily, dear, good to see you!I thought we could go shopping together.Are you free?”
I almost let out a hysterical laughter.If I am free?No, I have to plan my escape, but maybe next time?
“I would love to go shopping with you.Can I offer you a coffee?Gentlemen?”I gesture to her bodyguards, feeling bad not to include them, but they decline with polite smiles, so we’re out the door and on our way in no time.Fifteen minutes later, I’m sitting in the back of her car, her two men sitting up front, their presence uncomfortably obvious.
Should I run?I know I should.This could be my chance.I feel jittery.Would they follow me to drag me back to Damiano?There is only one way to find out.
But then we pull up to a luxury boutique, and I spot another car stopping behind us.Two more men step out.Clearly, they were following us.My stomach drops.Right on cue, my phone rings and “Dark” flashes on the screen.
