Page 103 of Liar

“You heard me.”

“Then what was that just now?” I hiss.

“Stupidity,” he grinds out. “I shouldn’t have touched you.”

Ouch. This isn’t a slap but a sucker punch to the stomach. I should have been better prepared for this.

“I won’t break his trust.”

“You’d choose his trust over mine?”

“What’s between us isn’t a matter of trust.”

I poke him in the chest. “Marriage is all about trust.”

“Luciana. This isn’t going to be a real marriage.”

Dios. He’s made up his mind, hasn’t he? I’m fighting a losing battle.

The soft hum of the phone against the cushion begins again. I’m three seconds away from hurling the device into the wall. Diego is relentless.

But so am I.

“Why?” I whisper. “Make me understand.”

“My time in Loreto is ending.”

“What?”

“My time here was always temporary.”

“Temporary?” I repeat. I chew over the word, such an ugly, fickle word. “But I thought you decided to stay. To build an empire? What about the Lobos? What about taking control of Loreto?”

What about me?

“Aurora’s father asked me to prove myself by raising an army to follow me. I took control of a violent city, where the odds of a foreigner thriving were next to none. I did what he asked, and now, with his death, I’ll lead his organization. Antonio volunteered to run things until I return.”

I flinch.Aurora’sfather.Haydenleaving. And me ... where? In goddamn Copenhagen?

“I’ll be asking Diego to come join me.”

I jump to my feet. “What?”

“To be part of my organization.”

“In Rome?”

“Yes.”

At least that wasn’t a lie.

“I will pay your full tuition to the university of your choosing. Anywhere except in Loreto. You won’t be left here alone and defenseless.”

“Don’t you get it? My brother is the reason why I’ve insisted on staying here. And now you’ll take him away from me? Did he agree to this?”

The phone rings once more, as if fate is trying to intervene on my behalf.

I lunge for it, but Hayden is faster. He snatches it out of reach before I can answer the call. He falls back onto the sofa as my body slams into his. I climb on top of him while still reaching for the phone, but he’s secures it beneath his muscled arm, knowing I don’t have the strength to lift it.