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Luca watched Nora and me,his eyes staring daggers. My lips curved in a triumphant smile, and I stroked her hair. I’d dressed her in her own clothes for the meeting with my men, but now she was back in the lace that I preferred—an enticing shade of crimson this time.
She was still stiff in my arms, and she hadn’t so much as glanced at me since the meeting had begun.
“There’s no need to be so angry with me, little bird. You did very well. I’ll reward you later.”
Her lips pressed to a thin line, and she turned her face away. She wouldn’t look at me, but she wasn’t looking at Luca either.
Unease stirred in my gut. Something was wrong with my wife. Even though I couldn’t have tolerated defiance in front of my men, I enjoyed her fire. I’d expected her to rail at me that she didn’t want a reward, but she kept the stony silence that she’d maintained all afternoon.
“Are you hungry, pet?” I murmured, kissing her chilled cheek.
Maybe she was prickly because she needed to eat. I’d made sure she finished both of her meals so far today, but she was still too thin.
I’d soon remedy that. Dinner would be served any minute now. Already, we sat at the dining table with Luca taking his place opposite us, so that he could watch how I cared for my wife. How he’d never been worthy of her.
She didn’t reply. If anything, her muscles coiled with more tension.
I knew she was embarrassed when I fed her, but I was only seeing to her wellbeing. I’d thought she was relaxing a bit more into our routine after how she’d softened in my arms over breakfast this morning.
“What did you do to her?” Luca growled, a forbidden outburst.
“What I do with my wife is none of your concern,” I shot back, momentarily forgetting to rebuke him. I was too distracted by my worry for Nora.
“The last time I saw her like this, her bastard cousin had tried to rape her. What the fuck did you do?”
My stomach dropped, but I didn’t tell him to shut up. I needed answers, and Nora wasn’t responding to me.
“Which cousin?” I demanded.
“That sick motherfucker, Alberto,” he seethed, his fists flexing. “He attacked her at our wedding reception.”
I ignored the spike of jealousy at the mention of their wedding and focused on my growing rage. I pulled Nora closer to my chest.
“And you didn’t kill him for it?” I bared my teeth at him, the cowardly worm. “He’s should be long dead by now.”
Luca’s jaw ticked. “I banished him from my home. I made sure he suffered first.”
I sneered at him and petted Nora’s hair. “You wanted his allegiance more than you wanted to protect her. You were never worthy of her.”
His cheeks darkened to a deep shade of red, but his shame didn’t please me this time. The fucker should be ashamed. I was too consumed by fury to care about debasing him.
“Who else was there when you paraded her around in front of Alberto?” Luca demanded. “Her father? The bastard who’s abused her for her entire life and sold her to a sadist in exchange for power?”
My teeth snapped together, and I tasted copper on my tongue. Yes, Giuseppe had heartlessly sold his daughter to me, but I hadn’t cared about that; I was too pleased with the match, with my triumph.
I caressed her cheek, hooking my thumb beneath her jaw to lift her face to mine. “Look at me.” Her hazel eyes shined with unshed tears, and my stomach twisted. “Is this true? Giuseppe beat you?”
Her features tightened with resentment. Toward me.
“You saw how he ordered his guard to hurt me when I defied him and tried to save Giana from you. Did you think that was the first time something like that happened?”
My spine stiffened. Why hadn’t I ever considered that?
I’d nearly killed the man for laying a hand on her. I’d protected her.
“And Alberto?” I demanded, voice rough. “He attacked you?”
