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He turns his head, avoiding eye contact.

“No, a strip club. What do you think?” he grumbles.

I roll my eyes at his sarcasm. “I think you’re a smart man, so home it is.” I give him a sugary smile and start the engine.

“I need some entertainment.”

He’s pushing it, testing me. My fingers clench and unclench around the wheel.

“Use your hand and thoughts of me. We both know that’s the best entertainment you ever had.”

Am I ballsy? Of course. I’ve learned to mask my insecurities behind an impenetrable mask of confidence.

Our eyes lock in the rearview mirror, and he arches a brow. “Don’t forget your place, Luciana.”

“It was just a suggestion.”

He cocks his head, rolling his bottom lip through his teeth. “I saw the way you looked at Zara. Thinking about her and me—”

I grip the wheel, my knuckles whitening from the pressure I apply. “Enzo, I am warning you.”

“No, I am warning you. Who I fuck is none of your business.”

The warning unmistaken, I drive home in stiff silence.

As soon as I park, he gets out of the car, and I follow him into his home.

For a moment, I think of how it would feel to call it mine, for this to beourplace. My delusion knows no bounds while my lovelorn heart holds onto its dream of being reunited with him with a greedy chokehold.

On the sofa sits his sister, playing with the monster who wiggles his tail when he sees his master and runs toward him. I freeze, not even daring to move as Enzo greets the dog, patting and kissing him at the same time.

“That was fast,” his sister says and stands up, gesturing to a bag that sits at the foot of the armchair.

“Not now,” he says, rubbing at his temples.

“It’s you who made this bed, brother. Now you have to sleep in it.”

He glares at her, and she waves him off, saying, “What you asked for is in the bag.”

She lifts on her toes to kiss him on his cheek, gives me an intent look, and then she slips out.

He picks up the bag and throws it my way. I see various items, including toiletries, pajamas, a new uniform, new trainers, workout clothes, and even a black dress and sandals. I bring the bag up to my room, taking out each item.

They’re things I forgot to appreciate, but now I do as I carefully place them in the closet and bathroom. He still cares, that stubborn man, and my chest warms.

The lines blur once again as he walks into my room. I know with every fiber of my being what we had is tarnished forever, but maybe we could bridge this rift.

“Thank you for—”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I guess keeping up the pretense it is.

“I am heading to bed. You’ll stay at the compound tomorrow,” he informs me.

I shake my head, refusing to allow him to put distance between us. “Where you go, I go.”

“This is an order.”