Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
I’m so fucking confused. I’m scared. I’m worried. I’m… in love.
Nico stills hovers over me, and I don’t know what to do. So I just slightly push on him and sit up. He doesn’t fight it. Standing, he grabs his towel and moves to the closet. He emerges dressed a few moments later, and I think my silence has upset him.
“Please don’t leave. I just don’t know what to say or do, Nico. Please.”
He hurries over to me and takes my hand. Pulling me up from the bed, he brings me in close and holds my face.“I’m not leaving you. I’m taking you somewhere special so we can work this out. I need you to get dressed. Okay?”
My heart settles a bit—not a lot but just enough that my hands stop shaking.
“Um, yeah, okay. Give me a minute.” I hurry and dress in jeans, a sweater, and put on some sandals. I put my hair in a wet twist and hold it together with a claw clip. He takes my hand, and we silently make our way back out again, the sun just now fully set.
The drive feels long, and we don’t speak the entire time. It felt like another hour, but it was no more than twenty minutes. We pull up to this beautiful Victorian style home, with ivy growing along the side of the house and some of the front-facing windows that overlook a lake.
“What is this?”
“This is my summer home. I never use it, but it’s where we’ll be staying for a while.” Nico doesn’t let me ask anything more, because he is out of the car and rounding to my side. He takes my hand and helps me out. The second my feet hit the gravel, I look around at the white house with black-framed windows and Victorian posts leading up to the front door, these painted black as well. I’ve never seen something like this before. It’s like a modern twist on an older home. I expect that the inside is filled with luxury, but there’s also deep history with this place.
I follow him, his hand in mine, guiding us to the door. He opens it, and immediately we are greeted with a double staircase and a grand foyer. The floors marble, and everything is in shades of black, white, and sage. It's stunning. Truly stunning. I wouldn’t peg this for Nico’s style at all. It looks like it was recently redone with a woman in mind.
“Nico, this is beautiful. It looks untouched.” I admire the abstract paintings lining the walls going up the stairs. I see a room to the left and another to the right. One looks to be a formal living room, while the other looks to be more of a casual sitting area. I can see a glimpse of the kitchen directly under the staircase. The arch of the steps frame the entry to the kitchen, and we walk toward it. When we enter, the entire room is white, from the marble counters to the cabinets. The only color in there is the silver appliances. But the real view is the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out into the forest, tree-lined with moss and deep shades of cedar wood from the constant rain and humidity.
“I had it redone last year and haven’t been back to see it since. I have a cleaning staff that comes in and keeps it dusted. Speaking of staff, our teams will be here soon. Giulio included.”
I am overwhelmed. Truly, I am spiraling in not only my own turmoil but the heaviness of the pain my husband carries and the power I wield over what he will do with that power, or not do.
Suddenly, I feel faint.
“Nico, I feel sick. I need to rest.”
He nods. I wanted him to bring me somewhere to make love, but I just can’t think straight right now. I need to clear my head and think about what choices I should make, and worse, I have to find a way to tell Nico about my involvement in all this.
“I agree. You can rest upstairs. I know it’ll be late, but dinner will be ready when you wake up. So just a nap for now, wife.”
I shake my head.“I’m not very hungry.”
I can tell he wants to dispute that and tell me I need to eat, but after a moment, he nods.
“Anything, principessa. Let me show you to our room.”
I am overstimulated, exhausted, and beyond overwhelmed with the amount of information I’ve consumed today.
Consumed? More like been fed with a spoon covered in poison. Except for when Nico said “I love you.” In the same timeframe, I learned Nico loves me and my father is the reason for the death of his parents. Originally, all along while my family was plotting to use me as his demise, Nico was plotting to have me aid him in his mission to kill my entire family.