My chest tightened. "Youmurderedhim."
"I know."
"You don't get to tell me how to feel,” I hissed.
Something dark flashed behind his eyes. Not anger. Something worse. Jealousy. Raw. Ugly. Possessive. "I don't care about Sergio."
I laughed. A sharp broken sound. "Clearly."
"I care about you,” he said simply.
The room went silent. My heart stumbled. Not because the words were romantic. They weren't. They sounded obsessive. Unhinged. Wrong. Like hearing a wolf explain why it climbed into a sheep pen.
I took a step backward. Then another. "What happened to my family?"
"Nothing." His expression softened slightly. Almost imperceptibly.
I stared. "You expect me to believe that?"
"Yes."
"You started a war,” I reminded him.
"Probably."
My stomach dropped. "You think this is funny?"
"No,” he admitted.
"You kidnapped Leo Moretti's sister-in-law,” I hissed.
"Correct."
"You murdered his right hand." I groaned.
"Also correct,” he nodded again.
"You destroyed a wedding."
His eyebrow lifted. "You weren't particularly enthusiastic about the wedding."
"THAT ISN'T THE POINT!” I screamed. A smile threatened. The bastard actually looked amused. I wanted to strangle him.
"The point," I snapped, "is that Leo is going to kill you."
The smile disappeared. "Maybe."
I froze. That wasn't confidence. That wasn't arrogance. That wasn't some mafia king claiming invincibility. That sounded honest. My pulse skipped. "You really think he might."
"Absolutely." I stared. Santino shrugged. Like we were discussing weather. "Your brother-in-law loves his family. And Sergio was family to him, too."
Outside, darkness settled over the ocean. The glass walls reflected the room. Reflected me. Reflected him. Reflected the impossible situation. I understood something awful.
This place wasn't a prison because it had locks. It was a prison because it didn't. Glass walls. Ocean views. Luxury furniture. Beautiful gardens. Freedom visible in every direction. Yet completely unreachable.
A cage. A gorgeous one. But still a cage.
Santino followed my gaze. Then quietly said, "I built this house because I liked the view."
