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I glance at him. He’s already looking at me, his jaw tense and a frown marring his lips.
“Not tonight, okay? I’m tired,” I say on a sigh.
“Fine. But I’m taking you to my house,” he announces.
“No!” I hurriedly say. “Take me to my parents’ house.”
“Astoria—”
“Carlo, I promise I’ll talk to you when I’m ready. But I need some time alone right now.”
He looks like he wants to argue but he refrains, looking away before starting the car. Then we’re off. I usually hate long silences, but it’s blissful as we drive.
When we arrive, I mumble out a goodbye before stepping out of the car. He drives away without another word. I can tell he’s angry.
Good. I’m angry, too. But knowing him, his anger would be more controlled and we’d never get anywhere if we had an actual argument. He’s not ready to be honest with me and I need some time away from him to sort out my thoughts.
I just need to know what’s real or not.
My parents are having a conversation by the stairs when I walk in, and my mom raises a brow.
“I wasn’t expecting you home tonight,cara.I thought you’d spend the night at Carlo’s.”
Of course they did.
“No, I decided to come home,” I inform them.
My dad narrows his eyes. “Did you have a fight?”
He looks like he wants the answer to be yes. I can tell my dad is itching for a reason to disapprove of Carlo and end our relationship.
“Of course not, Daddy.”
My mom slaps his stomach lightly. “Don’t be silly, darling. They didn’t have a fight.”
“Then why didn’t she hand out with him? They were partying it seems like a good night to hang out with the person you love and watch a movie or maybe go for a walk?” Dad shoots back.
I quickly look for an excuse. “Carlo had some work to do and I need to go in to the hospital early tomorrow,” I lie.
My dad’s brows furrow. “You never work on Sundays.”
“Yes, but there’s a patient I need to check on in the morning. Since Carlo’s busy, I figured I’d just come home and go to the hospital on my own tomorrow.”
“Hmm,” is all he says.
My mom buys it, though. “That’s fine,cara. It’s late, you should go to bed.”
I leave them at the stairs and head into my bedroom. As soon as I close the door, I fall onto my bed with a sigh. I wasn’t kidding about being tired. Sleep is always my first reaction to anything stressful or problematic.
The last thing I see before I close my eyes is the look on Carlo’s face as he stared at Cara. Something painful thuds in my chest and I can’t help but wonder if I’m already doomed.
CHAPTER14
Carlo
Sweat clings to my forehead as my fist collides with the bean bag in front of me. My punches are measured, controlled, each one designed to land with just the right amount of force. My father always used to say there should be moderation in everything—even beating people up.
Control and discipline.Even now, he’s still whispering in my ear. Everything I do, every action I take. I’m sure he would be so fucking proud of how well he’s molded me.
