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I’m done with him and deals—or at least I should be. “I don’t know. Do I?”
“If you can get through this evening without giving me heartburn, you can call Isabel in the morning.”
The man is full of surprises.Sometimes wonderful ones. My pulse surges, and I sit back in my seat.He’s going to let me talk to them. Don’t get too excited yet.
“Do we have a deal?” he asks, knowing full well I’d never refuse.
“Valentina will be in school in the morning. I’d like to video-chat later in the day, when I can speak to both of them. And I don’t want there to be a time limit on the call.”
“Then you better be on your best behavior, because you want a lot of things. But I’ll agree to it,ifyou behave.”
You’re going to have to do better than an off-the-cuff agreement.“I want your word.”
“Why? Will you ruin the evening if I don’t make the promise?”
“You claim to be a man who honors his word.” I pause for a breath. “And if you change your mind, or if this is a game, or some sort of punishment to break me ...” My heart twists. “I don’t think I can take another blow, Antonio. I need your word.”
He’s quiet again. Although this time the silence feels more contemplative than punishing. I just handed him another weapon to use against me, but it’s true. My psyche is fragile.
“I don’t want to break you. As infuriating as you can be, I admire your grit. Your resiliency. Your courage. The way you take a punch and throw it right back.” He pauses for a beat. “What I want is for you to come to terms with our arrangement, like I have. I want you to accept it, and maybe one day embrace it. I want you to learn to obey without every second being a struggle. Your safety depends on it.”
“My safety?” The most pressing threat to my safety is him—but he’s not the only threat. I don’t kid myself about that.
“We both know your father wouldn’t have given you to me if he didn’t believe you were in danger. No question, it might have simply been the mounting worries of a dying man. But it’s unclear, because he refused to elaborate. I don’t claim to know what was in his heart.”
“Protecting the vineyards was in his heart. Not protecting me. Don’t kid yourself.” The hurt is woven into every word—each syllable raw and aching, laying my pain bare for him to weaponize. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.
“There were other ways to protect the vineyards. He could have chosen any one of them. Your father loved you,” Antonio says, gently, his humanity bleeding through. “He made that clear at every opportunity, Daniela. Don’t ever doubt it.” His tone is tender, akin to a warm embrace.
I don’t know what moves me most. His words about my father’s love, or Antonio putting aside his stern demeanor, trying to lift my spirits.
It feels wrong to take advantage of his mood. The rare compassion should be nurtured, if it will ever be expected to grow. But I have other responsibilities, and I can’t worry about his soul. I need all my energy to fight for my own soul.
“There is something additional I’d like included in the deal.”
33
Daniela
“Don’t get too greedy,Princesa.”
There’s no bite in his tone, so I forge ahead. “I’d like to take a walk outside. Get to know the grounds a bit, and breathe some fresh air.”
“Nothing’s stopping you from going outside, as long as you stay away from the vineyards. The workers there are more likely to recognize you. Very few people know you’re here, and aside from Victor, no one knows your last name. They’ll eventually put it together, but by then it won’t matter.”
This is your problem, not mine.If I see someone I know, they might be willing to help me escape.No one’s going to risk his ire to help you.“I don’t care who knows I’m here.”
“You should care. You’re at some risk until we’re married. You may leave the house, but if you do anything to call attention to your identity, you’ll have to deal with me—and you won’t like it.”
The biggest risk to my safety is you.“Fine. But I want to take a walk without guards following me like I’m a criminal.”
He doesn’t say no immediately, but I can tell he’s not excited about the prospect of me roaming the grounds alone.
“My mother never had guards traipsing behind her in broad daylight while she was on our property. I doubt yours did either.”
“Maybe you should use a different example. It didn’t end well for your mother.”
The acid churns in my stomach.
