Page 82 of Gilded Princess

This rejection hits its mark, cracking the soft shell of vulnerability around my heart, leaving a crevice for cruelty and self-doubt to slither in.

My lip trembles, and I feel my eyes fill with tears, but I clench my jaw to keep them from falling.

Matteo slides his hands into his pockets, a statue of elegance in the middle of destruction and chaos. My traitorous heart leaps at the sight of him like this, commanding and powerful.

One glance at his eyes and the blankness shining from his gaze is enough for me to snap back to reality.

This asshole thinks he can keep toying with me like I’m a yo-yo. Well, I’ve had enough. And I’m calling bullshit.

I wipe underneath my eyes with my index finger to catch any stray tears and shake my head, the motion slow and heavy. “You’re a coward.”

He flinches, a small jerk, but part of me rejoices at even the tiniest bit of emotion shining through his blasé exterior. It gives me the courage to keep pushing, even though my skin prickles with his rejection.

I won’t beg him to keep me. But I will try to get him to see reason.

“Don’t do it, Matteo. Don’t push me away.”

“I’m not pushing you away.” He slides his hands into his pockets. He looks the perfect part of the villain. “I just don’t want you in my house any longer. I owed the Brotherhood a favor, and now I’m all paid up. Look, don’t take it personal. I’m sure you’ll make a lovely trophy wife one day, but I don’t need any more trophies. I need a fucking queen by my side.”

My jaw drops, my mind blanking for a moment. What in the actual hell is happening right now? Eyebrows low, I roll my lip inward, biting on it to bring me back to the present.

Adjusting the strap on my purse across my chest, I back up a few steps. Leo reaches out for me, but I sidestep him, tripping over a broken lamp on the ground.

Matteo halts my fall with a hand around my bicep, and I flinch away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” I hiss. He doesn’t release me until I’m settled on my feet. I wrench my arm out of his hand, and calmly walk to the door, bottling up my embarrassment and distrust like Nana’s rhubarb jam. I put a lid on it and seal it, shoving it to the back of my mind where I forget about it.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re just going to let her go like that? What the fuck is the matter with you?” Leo storms up to his brother and gets in his face.

I don’t bother to turn around to look. I’m in self-preservation mode now, and I’ve already given this whole situation enough of my time and energy. Stepping over broken plates and around shards of glass, I pause at the doorway and look over my shoulder at the three of them. “Mail me anything that survived the damage or don’t. I don’t really care either way.”

“Madison, wait! I’ll come with you,” Leo says, shoving Matteo and crossing the room.

I hold up a hand, palm-out. “Don’t. You should stay here.”

“Fuck that. I’m coming with you.” He stops right in front of me, his chest brushing against my hand. “Don’t shut me out because Matteo’s an asshole.”

A sad smile tips up the corner of my lips. “He’s your family, Leo. Besides, this isn’t goodbye for us. Just a see you soon.”

His gaze roams my face, his expression hard and closed-off. In a move too charming and quick, he snakes a hand underneath my hair and slides it up my neck to cup the side of my face. Lowering his head, he fuses our mouths together in a kiss that feels a lot like goodbye.

A single tear rolls down my face, but I hold onto his wrist, keeping his hand—and his mouth—against mine for as long as possible.

My lashes are slow to open when I pull back. He brushes his lips across mine one more time. “I’ll be right behind you, yeah?”

I nod, sadness heavy in my limbs. I don’t think he’ll be right behind me. In fact, judging by the way Matteo and Dante just acted, I’d say there’s a very good chance I won’t see any of them again.

His hand slides down my arm to briefly lace our fingers together. I walk backward, letting our fingers touch for another few seconds, memorizing the way it feels to have his gaze on me.

My eyes well with tears again, more likely that they never stopped, really, so I spin around to walk down the rest of the hallway. I don’t want any of them to see me cry, that feels like a privilege they lost the right to. Pressing the elevator call button more times than necessary, I fight the urge to tap my foot as anxiety pricks at my skin.

Finally, the doors open and I step inside. I keep my eyes on the floor as the doors close, but at the last moment I remembered the scene from one of my favorite romance movies.

The last time I thought about it was the night of the masquerade with Aries, and that night, he turned back.

My gaze lifts without conscious thought, and what I find has my breath stalling in my lungs.

All three of them stand in the doorway, faces solemn but intense, watching me, letting me walk away.

---