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“Bonjour? I haven’t heard you speak French in years, are you okay?” Pierre asks.

“Peachy, how are you doing?”

“Peachy? Theá, does Antonio have a gun to your head right now? Say Mom’s name if he does.”

“Don’t you dare bring her into this. But no, he doesn't. I just woke up in a really good mood.” I lay down again and stared up at the ceiling.

“Did you guys…you know?”

“Fuck, Pierre, I don’t ask you about your sex life,” I say, bile suddenly rushing up my throat. The moment in Antonio’s room is finally ruined, so I decide now is the best time to make my exit.

“That sounds more like you, Theá. God, I was starting to worry.” He sighs.

“I hope you’ve been working on what we discussed,” I say, hoping he’ll know what I’m referring to since I can’t be too sure that no one is listening to us. “I overheard Antonio and his cousin discussing something this morning, and it looks like they’re up to something, too.”

“Unsurprising, even Father is counting on him to pull some stunt to get out. And we will, too.”

“What?” I stop as I reach my door.

“I can’t tell you too much right now, Theá, for your safety, but just know I am working on it. You just have to be ready to go at any second, so don’t get too comfortable.”

Comfortable.

“Of course not. But it has to be all of us, Pierre, not just me. I can’t do this if Noelle has to stay with him when I’m gone.”

“I know, Theá. I’ve got her covered, don’t worry. Just be ready,” he reiterates.

“I am.” It’s not a lie. I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life. I’ve wanted out from the day I could understand what was going on. And Antonio is going to be the perfect distraction to help me do it.

Chapter sixteen

Theá

Theyalwayssayyou’llend up marrying a man like your father, and as much as I have rebuked that fate for my entire life, it has somehow come full circle. Because if there’s anything I’ve learnt in the last week, it’s that Antonio Vitale has more in common with my father than he thinks. They’re two sides of the same coin. And not only have I somehow found myself married to him, but I have also somehow let him give me my first orgasm. All in the space of one damn week.

“I love Monaco,” Eleanor says as she swims up to the edge of the pool, right in front of where I’m currently trying to absorb all the UV rays I’ve missed over the last week.

I’ve been working on the library for the entire week, and with Antonio’s go-ahead to use his very lovely credit card, it’s coming along nicely. I only have a few things to do, like set up the beverage cart, purchase the new seating arrangement, and then decide how I want to organise all the books. But on the flip side, I haven’t been outside much, and I’ve missed just lounging around by the pool.

“Everyone loves Monaco,” I counter.

“Not true. Monaco is only fun if you have money.”

As much as I want to argue with her statement, I know how crazy expensive Monaco is, especially Monte Carlo.

My sun is suddenly blocked when something is draped over my head. I rip the fabric off and see it’s a towel. Antonio towers over me, his phone up to his ear.

He moves the mic away from his mouth before grumbling out, “Cover up. I’m having a few investors up, and I don’t want them staring at you.”

I scoff and throw the towel back at him, then I hear him curse in Italian.

“Casse-toi,”I say and walk towards the end of the pool, where I step in under his glare. I simply blow him a kiss, and he rolls his eyes before heading back inside.

He has barely said ten words to me since he had me whimpering and coming all over his hand on Sunday. And by the time he returned from work that afternoon, I had a new bed in my room, so even more distance was quickly put between us.

The apartment has felt about as warm as Antarctica in the heart of winter, and now he comes out here and demands this shit? It’s so typical for men. They get what they want and then go back to ordering you around like you’re just another pawn in their game of chess.

Eleanor, who just watched the entire scene unfold, simply giggles as I swim over to the opposite edge of the pool to observe the city.