I stared at her, still grappling with the fact she knew about her House. Luc thought she was completely in the dark. “If you know about the deal, then you know...”
“What they did to him? Yeah, I know.” Pity filled her eyes. “Which is all the more reason you can’t tell him about Giovanni. He’s already struggling not to murder my parents. We all know they deserve it, but he can’t. And he can’t go after Giovanni either. Luc’s too important to the future.”
It was the same thing Marco and Felicity had been telling me. But I hated that it was all falling on him. And I hated that I was only making things worse.
My eyes fell closed, and tears I couldn’t stop spilled over my lashes. “I’m living a lie. When he finds out everything I’ve kept from him—”
“He won’t find out. And you’re not living a lie. You’re protecting him. You have to look at it that way. Luc would do the same for you.”
He had done the same for me. Only I hadn’t cared about the fact he’d lied to protect me. I’d only focused on the lie.
“I’m a terrible person.”
“No, you’re not.” She rubbed a hand down my back that did nothing to make me feel better. “You’re just stuck in a terrible position right now. But I promise it’ll get better.”
Tugging the ice pack away from my cheek, she said, “It’s not as bad as it probably feels. We can cover that redness with makeup. But you have to make an effort not to go anywhere alone when Giovanni is around. He doesn’t care about the rules. He only cares about hurting Luc. He’s always hated Luc because Luc is the heir and he’s not. He wants to rule. He’d like nothing better than for Luc to go after him and try to kill him so our House has a valid excuse to get rid of Luc for good. You can’t let that happen.”
I swallowed hard. It was the very reason I’d brought Luc back here when every instinct had told me to take him and run. “He’s so mad at me right now. I know he thinks I betrayed him by trying to keep the peace at dinner.”
“He’ll get over it.”
I closed my eyes. “He has a wicked temper.”
“Salvatici trait, I’m afraid. But he loves you, Natalie. I’ve seen how much he loves you. That will win out over his temper. Look how much you two have already been through.”
I wasn’t so sure. Yes, we’d been through a lot in our short relationship, but we’d had more moments of agony than we ever had of happiness. At some point, he was going to realize that and decide this relationship was too much work. And when he did, it was going to shatter my heart for good.
She let go of me and pushed to her feet. “Let me get some foundation, and we’ll cover that red mark. By tomorrow, everything will be better.”
I pressed the ice against my face as she moved into the bathroom, closed my eyes, and prayed she was right.
Because I wasn’t sure how much more misery I could take.
Luc was pacing in the entryway, waiting for me, when Ariana and I came back down the main staircase a half hour later. Giovanni and his kitten had already left, and his parents had retired for bed.
One look at Luc’s rigid shoulders and tense jaw told me he wasn’t thrilled I’d disappeared. And the clipped conversation he had with Ariana in Italian only reinforced that dread swirling in my gut.
Ariana fired something back at him in Italian that only made Luc’s jaw clench harder and his eyes narrow to a glare. He didn’t respond, only moved for the door, jerked it open, and stepped out into the cool night air.
I wasn’t sure what she’d said, but I liked the girl more and more.
Frowning, she turned my way and rolled her eyes. “Stronzo.” She hugged me. “Don’t let him boss you around. He’s clearly in dick mode.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I chuckled. Hugging her back, I said, “I won’t. Thanks for the help tonight.”
“I’m just sorry you needed it.” Gripping my shoulders, she eased back and looked me in the eye. “Remember what I said. Don’t let him give them what they want.”
I drew a deep breath. “I won’t.”
She flashed a smile and let me go. As I crossed the entryway and stepped out onto the front steps, I was again shocked at how tough she was. Luc thought she needed to be protected, but Ariana Salvatici was a force to be reckoned with.
Luc was already waiting for me at the passenger side of the car with the door open. But he wouldn’t look at me, and I could tell from his rigid posture that he was ticked.
He had every right to be mad, I reminded myself as I slid into the seat and he slammed the door, then stalked around the vehicle to the driver’s side. If I were in his shoes, and he’d just played nice with the family who’d instigated my rape, I’d be livid too.
He climbed in, started the ignition, and jerked the vehicle around the fountain and onto the road. Gripping the armrest at my side as we shot down the long drive, I struggled for something to say to break the tension.
Forty-five minutes later, when we pulled onto Marco’s property, I still hadn’t come up with anything that sounded even halfway sane. And since Luc hadn’t uttered a word the whole way back, I was almost afraid to broach the topic of dinner with him just yet.
He pulled to a stop in front of the guest cottage and killed the ignition. But he didn’t open his door, and, taking my cue from him, I didn’t either.
We sat in silence for several moments, both of us staring ahead at the lights illuminating the porch, my hand gripping my purse in my lap, his wrapped around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
Finally, he said, “What the hell was that back there?”
Shit. I turned toward him, desperate to make him understand. “Luc, I know you’re mad.”
“You’re damn right I’m mad. Porca puttana. Am I the only one who remembers what those sick fucks did to us?”
“No.” Panic pushed up my chest. “I didn’t forget. I was just trying to make things better.”
“You can’t make things better. You can’t ever make things better with them. And it’s not your fucking place to try. Porca troia. Stay out of my family business, Natalie, or I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Even though I knew he was hurting, my temper flared hot and dangerous. He didn’t have a clue what I’d been through tonight. He was so lost in his own head about what they’d done, he couldn’t see what I was doing now to help him. “I’m your family, Luc. Not them. I’m the one who loves you, not them. They don’t give a shit about you, and you know it. So don’t you dare tell me to stay out of your family business, because I’m the only family that should fucking matter anymore. And if you haven’t figured that out by now, I’m done trying to tell you.”
I shoved my door open and slammed it behind me. Then I stomped up the steps and moved into the villa without looking back.
I slammed that door as well. Silence met my ears. My heart raced as I stood still in the entry, waiting for him to follow me. But footsteps didn’t sound across the porch. Instead, the car engine fired, and the tires squealed as he tore away from the house.
All the fight slipped out of me. I sank to the floor, unable to hold back the tears. They rushed down my cheeks, and my body shook as I let them fall.