“Daddy!” I cry, “You have to stop this. You have to stop coming for me, trying to save me. I’m happy here. I love Julian.”
“Don’t say that. You can’t love him. He has you brainwashed, he only took you for revenge, that’s it. He doesn’t love you, Elena. You need to escape. Find a way out, and I will find you, wherever you are.”
The muscles in my throat tighten, making it hard for me to breathe, to swallow. “Revenge? He took me as revenge?” I can’t seem to wrap my head around his words. I know Julian believes my father killed his mother, but still… me as revenge?
“Yes, he doesn’t love you. He only took you to get back at me. I’m coming for you. I’m going to right all that I’ve done wrong. Soon, you’ll be free, sweetheart. Free of the cage he’s put you in.”
My heart shatters in my chest, and I feel the deep lashes his words have left across the organ. “You’re lying. Julian might hate you, but he loves me. He loves me. This isn’t revenge.”
“It is, and I’m sorry you were dragged into this.”
Before I can respond, the door creaks behind me, and I whirl around and find Julian in the doorway. His gaze is dark, penetrating, but with the reeling emotions inside of me, I’m as far from afraid as it gets. I’m angry, sad, and shocked, but more than anything, I’m hurt.
I hang up the phone and turn to give him my full attention. Lips trembling, I ask, “Is it true? Did you take me for revenge? Was this all about getting even with my father?”
He takes a step toward me, and I automatically take one back, trying to keep as much distance between us as possible.
“Yes… it’s true.” As the words reach my ear, I can feel my heart cracking in my chest. Broken, I feel broken.
“Everything was a lie? Our marriage is a lie…”
“No. I took you for revenge at first, but I really do want you to be my wife. You are more than revenge to me now,” he tells me, and I almost believe him… almost.
“If you gave up revenge, and I do really mean something to you, then prove it. Don’t go after my father. Don’t kill him.”
“I can’t do that. He needs to die,” he says without even thinking about it. It’s the confirmation I need to know my father was right. Julian doesn’t love me. He only cares about revenge. I was just too stupid to see that until now.
42
Julian
Guilt grows like a cancer, rushing through my veins, and pumping into my heart. I feel guilty for hurting Elena. She hasn’t smiled, leaned into my touch, or sought out my company in two days. It’s a one-eighty from what she was like a few days ago, and I hate it.
I feel like I’m losing her, and that has me more on edge than the fact that Zeke and a team of my best men are attacking Romero tonight.
“Our marriage is a lie…” I can hear the words in my mind still as if she said them right this instant. My need to make her father pay has cost me the last important thing in my life: her.
I thought having Marie back would help things, lighten the mood for when the shit hit the fan, but it seems Elena has closed in on herself further, and I’m not sure how to reach her. She’s fading every day, pulling away from me, sinking into the sand.
It’s maddening what her silence does to me, and I’m even considering letting her father live to prove to her that things have changed, that I do love her, and that our marriage is real.
At first, revenge was the driving force behind me wanting her, but it hasn’t been for a long time. Since almost losing her, I’ve only wanted her father dead. Not only for revenge but also to protect her. To ensure that neither of us would ever have to look over our shoulders and wonder if something was going to happen. Now, I only have to make Elena believe me.
She’s been hiding in the library, I know she doesn’t want to be anywhere near me, but I’m done pretending like there isn’t an elephant sitting on top of our marriage.
“I want you to stay posted outside every room that she goes in and comes out of, regardless of whether I’m inside it,” I say before heading to the library.
“Yes, sir,” Lucca responds. He’s done well as my second in command, but if I’m honest, I can’t wait for Markus to return. I can’t wait until everything goes back to normal.
I’ve tried my best to give Elena some space, but it’s hard letting her out of my sight while knowing Romero and Lev’s family are working together and after us. Hopefully, that will end tonight, in the meantime, I will be on high alert. Especially today, when I only have a few men guarding the house. Call it paranoia if you want… I call it protecting what is mine.
The Volcove compound is well fortified, and it’s going to take a lot of men to take them down. I wanted to be there, but I decided it is more important to stay with Elena.
When I step into the large library, I find my wife sitting in the windowsill. Her attention is drawn to the book in her lap while mine is drawn to the way her hair shines in the sunlight. She’s beautiful as sin, and I should’ve known the day I forced her name on the dotted line that she would become my demise.
“Did you have a good day?” I ask when she finally looks up from the book in her hand.
“Mhhh.” She nods her head and closes the book.
She won’t even look at me, let alone talk.
“Let’s go to dinner, I want to talk to you about something.”
She gets up from the windowsill and lays her book face down as if she is going to come back to read it later, walking over to me, she stops right in front of me.
Her eyes are lowered, cast down at my chest. I know she is doing this because she’s hurt, but two days of this behavior is all she is going to get. I’ve had enough. My guilt is being drowned out by my ever-rising anger, and her dismissiveness is not helping. I want my wife back, hurt feelings, or not.
“Look at me,” I order, but she shakes her head in defiance like a small child refusing to follow directions.
Grabbing her by the chin, I force her head upward, so she has no other option but to face me. She glares at me like she is about to lash out, maybe scratch me again, but as I wait to give her a chance to do so, she doesn’t make a move.
“Enough of your pouting. I don’t like how you’ve been acting lately.”
“Really?” She scoffs and crosses her dainty arms over her chest. “Does me not loving you not go along with your revenge plan? Poor you…” She patronizes, and even though I admire her bravery, I will not stand for it. I don’t let my men or anyone talk to me like that. I will not let my wife do so either.
“Your behavior is unacceptable,” I snap, tightening my grip on her chin. “I’ve already told you things have changed. It’s time for you to remember your place… which is by my side as my wife. Now, let’s have dinner on the terrace, so we can talk some more.”
She nods her head as much as she can while still in my grip, and I release her. Taking her hand, I start our descent down the stairs. She doesn’t hold onto me in return, refusing to wrap her fingers around mine. Her slender hand just lies flaccid in my larger one.