Page 106 of Beautiful Sinner

“But he is to me and with him comes Connor, who is a danger to you. Don’t be naïve, Julia. Please. You’re smarter than this.”

“I may be but I do know that I traded one prison for another.”

He flinches like I hit him. “I didn’t think of this home as a prison.”

“It’s not,” I sigh. “Not with you. But if I’m never allowed to leave, then yes, it will start to feel like a prison. I don’t want to live in fear anymore. Viktor made me do that my entire life because of our parents’ deaths. He sheltered me from the world because he couldn’t bear anything happening to me. Don’t do the same.”

“But I can’t bear anything happening to you. Not after you got shot.”

“I know. But Matteo, I might have to put myself at risk for people to understand what we have. And you’re going to have to let me.”

“No. I’m going out to find Connor right now. At least if he’s dead, I can sleep better at night. You stay here. Please. I am begging you.”

I can see how worried he is for me so I decide to give him what he wants. For now. “I’ll stay. But be safe. I can’t lose you either.”

“And I bought you some clothes,” he says, nodding to a bag on the table. “I ordered it and it was delivered while you were gone.”

He was thinking of me while I was lying to him. Guilt cannot comprehend how I feel.

He leaves to kill Connor without giving me a kiss goodbye. For the first time since Matteo and I have been together, I truly hurt him.

None of this feels good.

Inessa

When I walk through the front door, I’m confronted by Viktor.

“Where were you?”

I was hoping he would be so consumed by everything else that’s been going on that he wouldn’t notice me gone for a few hours.

“I was meeting with…” The urge to lie is on the tip of my tongue but no longer. I’m done deceiving my husband. He needs to know the truth. “I was meeting with Julia.”

Viktor looks like all the air was sucked right out of him. “With… Julia.”

“Yes.”

“Great. So are you both lying to me now? Both of you betraying me?”

“Ok, that’s enough,” I snap. He looks startled. Good. As he should be. “I have not betrayed you, Viktor. And neither has Julia. She fell in love and that’s it. I went to her in the hopes that we could call you together and you would get to talk to her. You would see that she’s happy with Matteo. You would see that you don’t have to hold on so tightly to her anymore. And if you just opened your eyes, you would see that this is an opportunity to make peace. Matteo and Julia are married now. Enemies and yet they fell in love. You can use their marriage to your advantage. A peace deal. Dante and Erik don’t come after you if you don’t come after them and Matteo and Julia can just be happy together. Oh, and you would have your sister back in your life. It’s a win-win for everyone. Why can’t you see that?”

“Because my sister lied to me. She betrayed me when she ran off with Matteo. I have spent my entire life caring for her and this is how she repays me?”

“Because it’s not all about you!” I shout. My voice echoes through the cavernous foyer. Our housekeeper, Mrs. Green, pokes her head around the corner to check on us but she must recognize that we’re in the middle of a fight and doesn’t intercede.

“What are you saying?” he growls.

“I am saying that Julia falling in love with Matteo was not a slight against you. It just happened. It’s how she feels. It was not a deliberate betrayal to you and if you could just talk to her, you would see that.”

Slowly, he nods, though his expression is not open. It’s completely closed off. “You met up with her, you said?”

“…yes.”

“So you can meet up with her again.”

“Viktor, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, meet up with her and I will follow.”