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I leaned over her, inches from her face. “Marcello is not a little boy. He doesn’t need you to take care of him.”
“Luca, stop it,” Marcello snapped. “Don’t talk to Alex like that. You’re scaring her.”
I glanced over at my brother and pointed my finger at him. “Stay the fuck out of this. We wouldn’t be having this discussion if it weren’t for you.”
“No, I think you would,” Marcello challenged. “Even if you lived a billion lifetimes, you would never deserve her.”
“Shut your fucking mouth before I come over there and shove a tube down your throat.”
“Don’t you dare,” Alex shouted. “He needs to rest, Luca. Marcello doesn’t need this stress on his heart.”
“Why do you care so much about Marcello?” I caged her against the mattress with my palms on both sides of her head. “Hmm?”
“You’re jealous.” Alex gave me a taunting smirk. “Wow. This is unbelievable. You have some nerve acting this way. For years, I wanted your time and affection, and you gave me nothing. You made me wait around for the scraps. If you weren’t such a shit human being, I would have fallen in love with you. I would have married you. I would have given you everything.”
“Sorry, baby,” I growled against her lips. “Hate to break it to you, but Iama shit human being. And I’m never going to change. Because I like the way I am. So go ahead, make me your villain. I play the role so well.”
She slammed her palm into my chest. “Go fuck yourself, Luca. Find someone else to play games with you because I’m fucking tired. This has gone on for too long. You destroy every good thing you touch. And I won’t let you steal the good parts of me.”
Gripping her shoulders, I lifted her off the bed. She trembled from my touch, terrified of me. Even I was afraid of the darkness inside me. It was always there, trying to claw its way out. Her lip quivered, and I realized I’d gone too far.
“Luca,” Marcello warned. “Let her go! You’re hurting her.”
Marcello looked like he was ready to climb out of bed and rip open his stitches to get me away from her. So I released my hold, knowing I had to let her go. It was the right thing to do.
Alex dropped to the edge of the mattress, her breathing labored. “Get out, Luca. I can’t stand to look at you right now. You make me fucking sick.”
“No.” I crossed my arms over my chest, glancing down at her. “We’re talking about this. You can’t push me away every time shit gets hard.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She sighed. “I can’t do this with you anymore. You make my head spin. Why can’t you be normal? Why are you so hateful and angry all the time?”
I bent down in front of her, sinking to the floor on one knee. “Do you have any idea what I have done for you? What I’ve done to protect you for all these years?”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you want a medal?”
My right hand shook uncontrollably. Alex knew how to test my patience, drive me fucking crazy. We were a terrible combination, like gasoline and a box of matches. Marcello was better for her, but I couldn’t let her go.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, blowing it out before I could look at her again. “I’ll fight for you. Always. You’re a part of me, Drea. Just like I am a part of you. And I’m not letting you go.”
Tears welled up in her bottom lids but did not spill. She was putting on a solid front to push me away. “Why are you like this, Luca? I’m so sick of the games, the lies, the bullshit. You put me through hell. Why can’t you just let me be happy?”
“Because you’re mine,” I confessed. “I need you. We need each other.”
Eyes downcast, she played with the seam of her shirt and groaned. “I need some time apart from you.”
“How do you suggest we survive a marriage if you can’t be around me?”
“We don’t.”
Her tone had a finality to it.
“You don’t have a choice,” I reminded her.
“You’re the one who doesn’t have a choice. I can walk away.”
“No, you can’t.” I reached for her hand, and she pushed me away. “You’re mine, baby girl. Forever and always. What binds us will destroy us.”
Alex bit the inside of her cheek, looking over my shoulder at the patio. “Those words mean nothing to me.”
