“Nothing I said made a difference. He had his mind made up about me the second he saw me outside your house. Everything else I’ve done for him doesn’t mean a damn thing. Someone is going to slip a knife between his ribs, and I won’t be there to stop it.”
“I’ll talk to him.”
“I don’t need you to defend my character.”
“I know. But I need to talk some sense into him.”
“Waste of time.”
“I have to try.”
Now he started to stare at me hard.
“What?”
“He’s never going to be okay with this, Francesca. I know when a man’s made up his mind. He’ll never accept me as the man you’ve chosen.”
I didn’t realize how much that approval meant to me until the moment I didn’t have it. I hadn’t realized how much it would hurt to know my father would never care for Wolfe the way I did, like family. My father and I didn’t have deep conversations about feelings, hopes, and dreams, but we did have a bond that went beyond the spoken word. And that closeness would grow distant if I continued to be with someone he distrusted.
But as sad as that was, it wouldn’t change anything.
He continued to stare me down. “Just be prepared for that.”
I arrived at the winery in the morning the following day. Everything seemed normal, like Warren hadn’t dispatched his crew to take me from my sleeping bed. The villa was still under reconstruction, and the vineyard workers were still working in the warehouse like normal.
I stepped into the villa with a heavy heart, and everyone stared at me far longer than they ever had. Elio was downstairs talking to Andre, and he stopped in mid-sentence to look at me, like I was a traitor. Even the staff were colder to me, like they didn’t want to be associated with the most hated person in the house.
I could have died, but everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that.
I headed upstairs to my father’s office and heard voices before I rounded the corner. Leo was lounging in the armchair with his knees spread far apart, his elbow propped on the armrest and his cheek resting against his closed fist.
My father’s voice disappeared when he noticed me in the doorway.
It took a second for Leo to catch on, and he eventually turned to look at me across the room. He cleared his throat and silently dismissed himself. He didn’t make a smartass comment and left the room. And he didn’t look at me as he walked out, even though he’d had tears in his eyes just the other night.
I shifted my gaze to my father.
He moved to one of the armchairs in front of his desk and crossed his ankle on the opposite knee, getting comfortable, like he anticipated a long conversation. He gave an unnecessarily loud sigh, like he wanted me to know his frustration, like he was the victim in all of this.
My heart was so heavy in my chest when I walked inside. I was sick to my stomach, and I hated that I felt that way with my own father. He was the only man in the world who would love me unconditionally, but I felt like that promise had been shattered when I’d slept with someone he didn’t like.
I took one of the armchairs that faced him, sitting fully upright with my legs crossed, my fingers interlocked as they rested on my knee.
He gave me the same look he had the other night, like he was more than pissed off, like he was deeply disappointed. My father had old values, but he was also a modern man. I’d never expected him to react this way. “Wolfe wanted to tell you multiples times, but I stopped him. He’s the kind of man that prefers to hit someone head on, and that’s exactly what he wanted to do with you. He was frustrated and angry with me every time I said it wasn’t the right time.”
He didn’t even blink as he listened to me.
“I just want you to know that.”
His silent ferocity continued.
“I was worried how you would react…and you’ve reacted exactly as I expected.”
“Then you knew your actions were wrong.”
“Wrong?” I asked with a tone of incredulity. “I’m an unmarried woman, and he’s an unmarried man. No moral or literal crime was committed. I can sleep with whomever I please. Just last week, I asked you about your personal life, and you dismissed my intrusion—because it’s none of my business. Well, my personal life is none of yours either.”
“The situations aren’t the same?—”
