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“I’m afraid I must insist,” Mr. Belfiore said in an abrupt tone, pausing to glance over at the press standing by. “Youpostponed the wedding, and I never agreed to a living together situation for my granddaughter regardless of the circumstances.”
Rocco turned to me, and my heart ached. “Are you okay with this?”
My stomach knotted.
“It’s…I guess it has to be.”
He let out a heavy sigh. His eyes dulled, and his face blanked.
I swallowed hard.But would he be?
His jaw tensed. “You were expecting him?”
I removed my sunglasses and blinked rapidly, my head throbbing. “Yeah. Uhm, he called last night—”
“—I told Adelina I wanted to tell you personally,” Mr. Belfiore cut in. “You’ve a lot on your plate with the funeral, your family, and businesses. I thought it would be better if she stayed with us instead of being another distraction.”
“Adelina’s not a distraction, she’s my fiancée,” Rocco said in a deep, clipped tone.
I stared down at my feet, my chin trembling, but his words were a comfort.
“I’ll bring Adelina to the funeral, and you can come by and talk with us anytime afterward. The delay is onlytemporary.Right?” Mr. Belfiore pressed.
My face burned as I glanced at Rocco, and hunched my shoulders. I was ashamed of my grandfather’s blatant calculated maneuvering at my expense. He didn’t care about Rocco or his feelings, only about what he could get. And I half expected Rocco to continue to refuse, but then I saw the flashes of lights from cameras. We weren’t alone, which was also why my grandfather chose this time to take me away from him.
Rocco sighed. “Fine.”
I hadn’t expected him to give in so easily—not from the man I’d come to know—and the pain clogged my throat. And I readied to leave, but couldn’t keep myself from a parting glance. I lifted my eyes and my heart stopped. His expression was sullen, and I knew my leaving him at this time hurt him deeply.
I stepped closer, and whispered to him, “Sorry.”
Rocco cupped my face, his eyes scanning me before bearing in. My pulse sped up under the weight of his gaze. “Get some rest… She’s sick. Please make sure you take care of her.” His tone was firm, but my grandfather didn’t react or acknowledge him, merely remaining silent.
My heart warmed at Rocco’s words because I needed to believe he still cared. But I also knew this was a precarious time. Without a doubt, Rocco was about to assume the head of the Marini family and empire. If the documents left in the copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover were true, it wouldn’t even surprise me now if Luca went back on his word.
If Luca was the man who helped my father while still hurting my family, would he also try to destroy me? He would have known I was ruined in my grandparents’ eyes by having premarital sex. It would be even more cruel to make sure Rocco never married me. Fear took hold of me, and my eyes darted away. Even if my grandfather encouraged me to sleep with Rocco, I did it because I wanted to. “You take care, Rocco. Please, please try to rest too. Okay?”
“Bella,” he said, his voice sweet like warm honey. His thumbs rubbed my cheeks. “I’m not letting them keep you.I’ll be there to pick you up as soon as I can. All right?”
I forced a smile.
“You’re bad at faking,” he admonished in a low tone. Then he kissed my forehead and lips before letting me go.
“We’ll have the reading of the will soon—”
“You don’t need me for that,” I rasped.
“You’ve already been requested by our lawyers.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but went into his arms, hugging him tight.
He kissed the top of my head before slowly letting me go, his fingers brushing lightly over my chin.
My throat closed as I watched him close himself off, putting his feelings behind a mask as he assumed the strong leader his family counted on right now. He left us and went to the SUV, climbing inside with no glance back. Without him, I felt cold and empty.
I dropped my head and raised my shoulders.
“Come, Adelina,” Mr. Belfiore said in a stern voice. I turned and followed behind him, and we climbed in his car.