Chapter 15

Fifteen

Elena

I can’t stop my tears as I wipe around the deep wound on Romeo’s side, blood oozing from it.

For the past week, I have tried to keep my distance, trying to act like I don’t love him anymore, when all of me just wanted to hold onto him and never let him go. But then I heard he, not Leonardo, was going to the meeting tonight, and I panicked. Fear like no other took over, and I sat on our bed for the first time in weeks, waiting for him to come home.

When I saw him walk into the bathroom and was okay, I planned to go back to my room, thinking he was going to shower, but then I heard the cabinet open, and I knew something happened.

He’s hurt, and I feel like dying knowing I could have lost him.

Why can’t this be easy, why can’t I just say “screw it,” and walk away?

More blood comes out of the wound, and I sob, grabbing the towel, and pressing the fabric tightly against him.

“ Farfalla ,” Romeo rasps, cupping my cheek, and I look at him.

Pain etches his features, and I sob, “Ray s-should h-have kept y-you safe. He-he swore….”

He grips my cheek harder. “He doesn’t know, El. Not one of my men knew I was stabbed. Don’t blame him, baby, he was already worried he wouldn’t get your brownies, and we both know how scary his pregnant wife can be….”

I shake my head. “He should have kept you safe….”

His eyes soften as he pulls me closer, his lips going to my forehead. I grip his arm as I close my eyes, enjoying his warmth while keeping pressure on his wound.

“I love you, Farfalla …” he rasps against my skin, and I squeeze my eyes tight.

It’s not the first time he’s said it, but I have never believed it until now. I don’t know if it’s how he’s saying it or how he’s holding me, but a small part of me believes he does love me, and I feel pathetic because of it.

The pictures of my sister on his phone pop into my head, and I go to move, but he grips me harder and rasps, “I do love you, Elena. I have since the first moment I laid eyes on you.” I look at his wound as he chuckles. “You looked like you would have preferred to be anywhere else but that café that day. Your hair was up how it is now, you wore a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a Jane Austen shirt, not giving a fuck.” Tears trail my cheeks at his memory of me that day, shocked he noticed me at all with Liliya there. “You bought your guards a drink, then walked straight past me, not even making eye contact before sitting, only focusing on your schoolwork.”

He gently lifts my head so we make eye contact and admits, “You entranced me instantly, which was a little pervy of me, really, considering you were only seventeen.”

I snort and lean into his touch. “School was all I had….”

He hums, gently stroking his thumb along my jaw. “It was, and you worked your ass off, even after finding out about our engagement.” He licks his bottom lip, and then admits, “I kept urging you to read the contract, not only to see what your mama did by putting those stipulations in about your sister, but to show you I manipulated your father to get you. He denied me at first, El.” I furrow my brows in confusion, and he nods. “Yeah, he didn’t want you to marry me. He knew you wanted nothing to do with this world, he knew your mother hated you weren’t born a boy, he knew Liliya was brought up spoiled. He wanted you to have a normal life until he realized exactly how much I wanted you.” Romeo sighs. “El, your father put the pregnancy stipulations in, so you had a way out if you didn’t fall for me. Your mama snuck into my father’s office when they were around for drinks that day we celebrated the union. She’s the one who added the stipulations about Liliya. Your father only added my paying Miguel off and watching over Liliya until we were married. Your mother is the one who added everything else, including my marrying Liliya if you and I divorce.”

I sniffle. “Why would she do that?”

Confusion fills me. Does my mother hate me that much?

Is he telling me the truth?

But why would he lie, what would he gain from it, what would he gain from trying to keep me and having sex with my sister?

“Ah, farfalla , I think she did that because she was fed up picking up after Liliya’s problems. She knows she fucked up with her, and she didn’t want you to be in this life; she wanted you to have a normal life, but over the last four years, she’s seen what you’ve come to mean to me. Every breakfast I had to go there, she’d force me to eat with them, and at first I think it was to push Liliya on me, but then she’d start to ask questions about you, and my answers showed her that I was never going to let you go.”

Backing away, causing his hand to drop, I wipe my tears away with my arms. Slowly, I move the towel and wince, seeing how big the cut is, and quickly grab the gauze, soaking it in the sterilizing solution, and start to clean the wound.

“ Farfalla ?” he asks after a few minutes of silence. My head is going a million miles a minute with so many questions, and I know now is probably the best time to ask them, but I’m scared.

What if I don’t like his answers and end up more hurt than ever?

“Ask me, El…” he encourages, and I sigh, throwing the blood-soaked gauze on the counter before grabbing another, more tears falling when I see the blood still coming from the wound.

Clearing my throat, I ask, “Why didn’t you just say ‘fuck it’ with the contract?” I look at him. “You are rated the most powerful billionaire in New York City, and I know you’re the most feared Don with how ruthless you are toward your enemy. How come you couldn’t break it?”

He smiles at me as I look back at the wound, cleaning around it.

He rasps, “To break the contract, baby, would mean killing your father.” I freeze, my hand stilling, my eyes wide as I look at him in shock, and he nods. “My lawyer is the one who drafted it, El. Despite everything, I know how much you love your parents, and I couldn’t do that to you. I couldn’t kill Liliya because of the stipulations your mama put in.” He runs a hand frustratedly through his hair. I look down, returning to his wound, and he continues, “I thought keeping you close at home while keeping a distance in public would keep you safe?—”

I snort and cut in, “Yeah, and how did that plan go for you?”

He growls, gently pinching my hip, and says, “Brat,” making me smile a little as he continues, “I didn’t think you’d believe I was having an affair with her; I thought I showed you enough at home what you meant to me.”

I nod, and throw the gauze, before looking at him. I raise a brow. “So, if I gave you my body at home, only between the hours of nine in the evening to four in the morning, then spent the whole day hanging off another man’s arm, let’s, I don’t know, say, Damian Allens, for example….” Romeo growls at his name. I continue, “How would you feel, Rome? Day in, day out, I watched her fawn all over you while I was left in the shadows, having my heart broken; how would you feel if I did that to you?”

He winces and grumbles, “I’m a fucking idiot….”

I snort. “No denying that here.”

Huffing, I grab the needle and thread before swallowing hard. This isn’t the first time I’ve stitched him up, but this wound is probably the biggest.

“Ask me another question, farfalla ,” he rasps, trying to distract me from my fear of hurting him, even if he deserves it.

I clear my throat, and thread the needle, before bending, carefully pulling his skin together, gently poking the needle through. He doesn’t make a sound, but he does tense.

“Ask me, baby,” he commands again, seeing my hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, I ask, “The photos?”

He hums, then grunts. “Since our engagement was announced, she’s spent the past six years sending me explicit photos, hoping to sway me. I deleted every single one but didn’t realize they saved in that folder.”

I nod, not sure whether I believe him as I thread the needle through his skin. “The calls?”

“Ignored,” he admits. “You can even check yourself. Click on the number, and you’ll see they are all missed calls.”

I nod again as I pull the thread tight and murmur, “The locked folder?”

He chuckles. “Not sure I want to tell you that while you’re threading a needle through my skin, farfalla. ” I look at him and narrow my eyes at his grin as he admits, “The folder is full of photos and videos of you and me.” I furrow my brows in confusion, only for his grin to widen. He admits, “Normally, when we were intimate, you’re in the throes of it and don’t realize I’ll record us or take photos of you.” My mouth drops open, and he chuckles with a shrug. “Can’t say I’m sorry about it, baby, especially when you’ve withheld your body for weeks. It’s my spank bank.”

I feel my cheeks heat, and I dig the needle into his skin harder than normal, making him wince and chuckle.

“See, I knew I shouldn’t have told you while you were stitching me up.”

A small smile builds on my face. I am kind of happy he had the sense to put it in a locked folder, despite him doing it without my knowledge. I sigh and tie the thread into a knot before cutting the remaining thread.

I grab all the used gauze and throw them in the trash, then I go to the cabinet and grab the antiseptic cream and bandages, before going back to my husband, feeling his eyes on me as I go.

I gently spread the cream over his wound, then grab the bandage and a clean piece of gauze. Placing the gauze over the wound, I wrap the bandage around his waist, and I ask the one question I haven’t wanted to, but know I need to.

“How does she know about your scar on your thigh, about your piercing, if you haven’t slept with her?” I ask timidly, not looking at him.

I feel him move, and I look to see he’s grabbing his phone. He does something, then turns it to face me and rasps, “Press play, farfalla .”

Frowning, I quickly tape his bandage up, then do as he asked, and press play.

I watch in horror as Liliya sneaks into our room, looking around. She’s in a short pink mini dress and silver heels, the clothes she wore to our first wedding anniversary party, which Mamma Russo demanded she throw.

I watch as she goes over to my dresser, fisting her hands as she looks at all the expensive perfumes and jewelry Rome bought me.

“Jesus, she’s really holding herself back from smashing everything,” I mumble, and Rome snorts as we watch her storm over to the bathroom. It’s then I notice she has her purse as she opens it, and pulls out….

“Holy crap, is that a camera?” I ask in shock, my eyes wide as I look at Romeo.

He nods. “I found it the same day she put it up, but not before I got naked. That’s how she knew, farfalla ….”

I blink a few times in shock and stutter, “T-the choker?”

He winces. “That was your mother. She’s already expressed how much she regrets it, but she bought Liliya the replica one of yours, hoping you would walk away on our wedding day.” He gently cups my cheek again and rasps, “Your father, when he slowly tortured your mama, taking everything away from her, found a secret account worth millions in your name. She admitted everything.”

I furrow my brows. “She was going to help me run?”

He nods. “She was.”

I scoff, “Yet she used a belt on me growing up….”

His grip tightens on my cheek at the reminder. “I’m not sticking up for her, because I don’t agree with what she did, and I want to kill her for it, but….”

I finish for him, “She didn’t want me to be like Liliya.”

He nods and asks, “How old were you when it started?”

I frown and try to think back. “I-I think I was eleven, maybe. Liliya had taken my doll and wouldn’t give it back. I remember stomping my foot, and then hitting her.”

He nods, pulling me closer, his lips caressing mine, making my traitorous body melt, and he whispers, “I’ll never allow anyone to hurt you again.”

My tears fall. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this, Rome? Why wait until I’m ready to leave?” I ask with sorrow.

He sighs. “Your father didn’t want you to hate your sister, farfalla , and he also wasn’t ready to admit how much of a bitch she is.”

I sniffle. “He’s twenty years too late for that.” His grip tightens. My tears fall again, and I admit, “I do love you, Rome,” causing him to smile, and I continue, “I didn’t want to, but I fell, and I fell hard, but four years of feeling like second best, of being pushed to the side, of trying to get you to even speak to me, to open up.... I don’t know how to get over that, and then there’s the fact you forced this pregnancy on me.”

He sighs, kissing me lightly again. “Forgiveness will take time, I know this, El. Why else do you think I’m allowing you to stay in that room? I was giving you time, but you need to meet me halfway here. No more ignoring me.” He pulls back a little, making eye contact, and he rasps, “Let’s make a pact.” I raise a brow at him, and he smirks. “We make a pact to date again, only this time, you won’t be shut out for your safety.” Gently, he undoes my hair, then runs his finger through it, gripping it tightly at the base. “You allow me to show you what you mean to me and, when you’re ready, you’ll move back into our room.”

He raises a brow as I furrow mine, looking down, my emotions all over the place.

Can I do that, can I give him a chance to basically woo me? To make things right?

Can I open my heart to him again?

Can I forgive him for what he’s done?

Will I regret it if I didn’t at least try?

I look at him and see the sincerity in his piercing blue eyes, and I twitch my nose before slowly nodding in agreement, because, well, I meant what I said. I do love him, and I’m willing to allow him to prove to me that he does love me, and prove he doesn’t want her , but that doesn’t mean I won’t leave at the first sign of him straying. So far, he’s proven he may not have cheated, but emotionally, I feel like he has, which is worse in my book.

Smiling, he nods and places his forehead against mine, rasping, “Thank you, El. I promise, I won’t let you down.” He takes a deep breath, and says, “As much as it kills me to say this, but until you’re back in our bed, no sex.” I freeze, and he smirks like the dick he is. “If you want me, farfalla , then you need to be back where you belong. Just know, once you come back, you won’t be leaving ever again.” He kisses me lightly, then murmurs, “As for our baby, I don’t fucking regret it, because right about now, you would have been pregnant with our fourth, and the contract would have been void years ago.”

With that said, he kisses me hard and dirty, all tongue and teeth, and I melt, gripping his arms, all while hoping I’m not making a big mistake.