Page 63 of Veil of Obsession

“That’s not going to happen.”

His expression flickers, a subtle shift of frustration tightening his features. “Why the hell not?”

I let out a breath, glancing back up at the screen and watching as he leans forward, gripping his phone tighter. His eyes are sharp, locked onto the camera, even though he still doesn’t know where it is.

“Because this isn’t something that would last,” I finally say, my voice softer than I intend it to be.

Lucio scoffs, running a hand though his messy hair. “You don’t know that.”

I do. I know exactly how this would end: how they all end.

I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. “Yes, I do.”

His jaw flexes, his frustration palpable through the screen. “You’re full of shit, Princess. You don’t get to say that after everything.”

I exhale slowly, biting my lip. This conversation is going nowhere. And I shouldn’t have let it go this far in the first place.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” I murmur. “I’m engaged.”

The second the words leave my mouth, Lucio stills. Completely.

I watch the way his hand tightens into a fist against his knee. The way his whole-body tenses, as if the weight of what I just said is sinking in, spreading through him like poison.

“You’re what?”

I tilt my head, watching him, waiting for his reaction.

“Engaged,” I repeat, dragged the word out.

His nostrils flare slightly, but his voice stays quiet, controlled. “To who?”

I smile to myself, letting the silence stretch. “None of your business.”

Lucio lets out a short laugh, but there’s no amusement in it. He looks like he wants to put his fist through a wall.

“You’ve been stalking me for three years, and you have the nerve to tell me it’s none of my fucking business?”

I hum, unconcerned. “That’s right.”

His lips part, like he has something else to say, something sharp, something mean, but I don’t give him the chance. I hang up. I watch him through the screen as he glares at his phone, his jaw locked, his fingers twitching like he’s resisting the urge to call me back.

Instead, he shoves a hand through his hair and exhales sharply. And then, just as I expect, his dark eyes lift, pinning me in place. He can’t see me, but for some reason, it feels like he can.

He still doesn’t know where I am. But I know exactly where he is.

24

Princess

Ihaven’t looked at my phone since last night’s phone call with Lucio. I haven’t even looked at the cameras or tracked him.

This was supposed to be an outlet, something for me to put my energy and time into without actually having to commit to it. But things have spiraled so far out of control that I don’t even have the energy to do anything about it. Instead of moping all day in bed, I sit up and run a hand through my knotted hair.

Slipping out from between the sheets, I grab my phone, wincing when I see a couple of messages from my friends and cousin. But something sharp twists in my gut.Disappointmentthat Lucio hasn’t even tried to reach out after last night’s call.

Good. He shouldn’t call. And I should let this thing go.

But not before I get my necklace back. That thing was given to me by my grandmother before she passed when I was fourteen.