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Quinton’s whole body stiffens at my words, his arms tighten around me like a boa. “What did you just say?”
“Matteo was the guy who cornered Adela. I stopped him; that’s why he hates me so much… I mean, more than the rest of the school.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me earlier?” Quinton’s voice takes on a murderous tone, and I instantly regret telling him.
“I thought you knew,” I whimper. Quinton loosens his hold on me slightly, and I continue. “I didn’t know you and your father cared about your sisters like that. I didn’t think you would care. You know how most men in our world look at women. I didn’t know…” I truly didn’t. Most powerful men like Xander act like Matteo. They think women are to be owned, controlled, and fucked, nothing else.
“He’ll pay for that,” Quinton mumbles under his breath before the cab falls into silence.
We remain wrapped in each other’s arms, and my eyes drift closed. The exhaustion of everything that happened weighs heavily on my mind, yet I still can’t forget about Adela. Why can’t I give her the bracelet? And why didn’t she come to the founders’ ball?
I let out a defeated sigh and turn to burrow my face into Quinton’s side when I sense the stare of his eyes on me. Even in the dark, I can feel his gaze; it’s penetrating, intrusive, and inescapable. I wish he wouldn’t look at me like that because it makes me want to peel all my layers back and let him in, even while knowing he wouldn’t let me in.
“What happened, Q? What happened to your sister?” I ask, assuming he won’t tell me, but hoping he will.
After a brief pause, he sighs, and I can feel every single ounce of pain in his words. “She died.”
The confession slices through me, taking the air from my lungs. Dead? I’m not sure why I never thought that she was dead. Maybe because in the world we live in, the Rossi name is untouchable.
No one can hurt them, and no one tries.
“What do you mean, she died?” I whisper the question.
“She had leukemia. We tried everything possible to save her, but there just wasn’t… cancer doesn’t give a shit who you are, it just takes, and it took her, snuffed out her life before it could even be lived.”
All the pain I’ve felt over the last few weeks seems insignificant compared to the hurt in his voice. My heart breaks for him as I look at his handsome face draped in a darkness that only death can bring. I never realized how lost he looks until now.
It is all making sense. His need for control, his rage, and pain. He’s still grieving, and unfortunately, he found an outlet for all of it. I became his punching bag.
“I’m sorry, Quinton. I had no idea—”
“No one knows, and I expect you to keep your mouth shut about it. I’m only telling you because Adela obviously had a soft spot for you.”
“Of course. I would never tell anyone.”
“Good,” he growls, and I feel the vibration of his voice like a current rippling through my body. “Now, go to sleep. You need to build up your strength for tomorrow.”
“What happens tomorrow?”
“We head back to Corium.”
I don’t ask him if this makes us any less of enemies, but I want to. Good thing my eyes drift closed, and I fall asleep listening to the steady drumming of his heartbeat before I can.
