Page 50 of The Temptation

“My birthday is not something I ever wanted to celebrate. For me, it signified the day I was condemned to the hell that is that woman.”

“When’s your birthday, Romeo?” she asks.

“It’s not important.”

“It is to me,” she declares, and those words put another fucking dent in the carefully constructed armour I erected over my heart many years ago.

“Lock the doors when I leave,” I say, unbuckling my seatbelt and shutting this conversation down. “And for fuck’s sake, stay in the car.”

“I’ll keep lookout,” she replies so eagerly. I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“No need, sweetheart. Just be a good girl and read your Kindle.”

Lucia pulls it to her chest and hugs it. “I love my Kindle.”

“I’m glad.”

For once, it appears I’ve done something right where this woman is concerned, but the million-dollar question remains … does she really love me?

When I reach for the door handle, Lucia grabs my arm. “If you need me, just call out and I’ll come.”

My eyes briefly skim down the length of her petite body. “No offence, babe, but I’m not sure how much help you would be.”

“Hey,” she grumbles, narrowing her eyes. “I may be scrappy, but I’ve got spunk.”

I bark out a laugh. “You sure do,” I reply as I alight from the vehicle, close the door and jog around the front of the car.

I’m pissed that I’m even here. My fucking mother is constantly pushing the boundaries with me because she knows I’d never hurt her.

She may not deserve my loyalty for all the things she’s put me through over the years, but she has it. That asshole she’s with, though? That’s a different story. I’ve warned him more than once to stay the fuck away from me and my things.

I guess he’s hard of hearing.

The only reason he’s still breathing is because of her. He’s the longest relationship she’s ever been in, so he mustmean something to her. And for that reason alone, I can’t bring myself to end him.

Since my uncle died, I’m the only family my mum has left. My grandparents disowned her when she got pregnant out of wedlock and then decided to keep me. In the Italian community, dishonouring the family is a big deal.

In the end, her brother was the only one who stood by her. Now that he’s gone, I feel like I’m all she’s got. And that asshole she’s with? He definitely doesn’t have her best interests at heart.

When I see the front door is still intact—unlike my gate—I stalk around the side of the house.

For their sake, I hope they’re long gone, because the rage flooding through my veins right now makes me worry for their safety.

As soon as I round the corner, I stop dead in my tracks when I see my mother shifting from foot to foot beside the garage. There’s currently a light coming from inside, which I definitely didn’t leave on, and the side door is now hanging off its hinges.

“What the fuck, Mum?” I growl as I storm towards her.

Her head swings around, and her face pales when she sees me.

“Shit, Romeo,” she says, rushing in my direction and holding her hands up in front of her defensively. “Please don’t hurt him; it was my idea.”

“I don’t give a fuck whose idea it was,” I roar, not even sparing her a glance as I move past her.

I don’t know what hurts more, the fact that she’s continually betraying me by doing shit like this, or that she’s trying to defend him, because that’s a luxury she’s never afforded me.

“Don’t,” she pleads, reaching out to grab hold of my elbow, but I shake my arm from her hold.

“Would you like me to call the police instead?” I bluff because that’s exactly what I should do.