Page 123 of The Temptation

Lucia

My anxiety elevates on the drive to the safe house. I’m still ignoring my brother-in-law, or maybe it’s him ignoring me, but either way, the silence is deafening.

I could feel Romeo pulling further and further away from me the longer I stayed. In the end, he practically pushed me out the door. Well, metaphorically speaking. He’s currently in no condition to push anyone.

He claimed he needed rest, which was probably true, but I still read between the lines. He’s shutting down and getting ready to run; I can feel it in my bones. Those walls of his are coming back up.

What he fails to realise is that he can run all he wants, but I’m not giving up. He may have stopped fighting for this marriage—for us—but I haven’t.

I’m stubborn like that. If I want something bad enough, I’ll move mountains to get it, and I want this man more than anything.

I unclick my seat belt when Dante pulls into the driveway, reaching for the door handle, but pause when I realise I don’t have the keys. I twist in my seat and hold out my hand.

“What?” Dante asks as his eyes move from my hand to my face.

“I’ll need keys to get inside.”

He reaches for his own belt. “I’ll come in with you.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” he asks, frowning.

“I don’t want you to come inside with me. I’ll be here for hours, cleaning up … packing. I heard Arabella’s voicemail. Your brother and his family have arrived. Go home and spend time with them. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“Lucia—”

“I mean it,” I say, cutting him off. “I need some space … some time alone. I appreciate your offer, but this is something I need to do by myself.”

I couldn’t have returned to this house if things had ended differently, but since they didn’t, I need time to say goodbye to this part of my life. I don’t want to rush it.

My brother-in-law blows out a frustrated breath before reaching into his pocket to retrieve a set of keys, begrudgingly handing them over.

I glance down at my hand. “These are Romeo’s keys. How did you get them?”

“I had one of my men drive his car back from Wyalong. I’ve already organised for the back window to be replaced.”

“That’s nice of you. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Lucia. He’s part of theFamiglia. I always look after my own.”

“Is he going to remain in the family after this?”

“He’ll always be like a brother to me, regardless of what happens.”

“Huh,” I huff as I reach for the door handle again, but before I can exit the vehicle, he replies.

“I’m not mad at you. It’s Romeo I’m pissed with. Itrusted him to take care of you, and he took advantage of that … he took advantage of you.”

I release a small, sarcastic laugh. “Oh, please. You are so far off the mark, it’s laughable. If anyone took advantage of this situation, it was me.”

“You don’t have to protect him, Luc.”

“I’m not,” I snap, losing my patience. “He fought me from day one. Even when I implementedOperation Takedown. Even after we got married, he still fought it. He’s under some delusion that he’s not good enough for me … for anything real. He’s wrong. He’s more than I deserve.”

“I agree he’s a better man than he gives himself credit for. He’s fiercely loyal, even when he doesn’t have to be. His mother treated him like crap his entire life, and yet he never walked away. He stayed with her, stood by her, even when it would have been easier to let go.”

“I hate that woman with every fibre of my being. If I ever have the misfortune of seeing her again, I’ll kill her myself.”