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"Love you?" he sneered, taking another step toward her, finally getting up to her face. "How can a man like him love anyone? You deserve more than a life chained to a beast like that."

Victoria backed away, shaking her head in shock or disbelief, she wasn't sure. "You don’t understand. I know he is usually misunderstood but… he is not a beast, Theodore. He is a wonderful man. I… I love him-"

"No, you don't!" He snaps, his voice low and dangerous now. "Victoria," he continues, "You don’t love him. You can't love him. You don't… you don't understand. You… you have been bewitched and it is my fault. I have waited too long, and I am sorry."

"Theo-"

"I have watched you waste yourself on a man who is unworthy. But no longer. I will free you from him. And you will be mine. Like it was always meant to be."

Victoria could hear her heart pounding in her chest… it was starting to dawn on her that this was not a simple situation. His words as well as the raw, possessive hunger she saw in his gaze told her as much.

This was not the Theodore she knew.

The fun loving, quick-witted, easy-going man she so adored.

This man… this version of him… was a stranger.

A dangerous stranger.

"What don't we talk about this-" she began but was quickly cut off as he turned from her.

"There is no time to talk about it," he said. "I am not convinced Anthony will fall for the letter I left-"

"Letter?!" she repeated, a string of fear going through her. "What letter?!"

"-which is why we have to move fast," he continued, completely ignoring her question. "I have a ship ready-"

"Damn it, Theodore! What letter?!"

At her enraged tone, he turns to look at her and seeing the displeased look on her face, he decided to answer.

"I left him a letter, in your name, telling him how you can no longer be with him."

"What? No!"

"Yes. Victo-"

"He will never believe it," she said in gasp. "He won't. We are in a good place now… he-"

"He will believe it."

"No, he won't!’

"Yes, he will."

"You don't know that! You for k ow him like I do. He-"

"He will see that you cannot accept such a secret of him and his self-hatred will understand that."

"What did you do?"

"I told him about how the marriage between you two was only to help Charity escape an unhappy marriage to him."

"How did you find out about that?!"

"I was there that night. I followed you and stood outside the doors while you two discussed. I very nearly killed him when he asked you for a kiss but I couldn’t. I was surprised you kissed him. But enough about that, it is time for us to leave. The ship leaves for Italy this night, we can't afford to waste any more time."

Victoria stared at him, disbelief freezing her to the floor