Page 37 of Heartless Union

Rocco tenses. “He said that?”

“He did. I think it was a … threat.”

“Dammit,” he hisses, turning away from me and running a hand over his face. “The gall of that man. Thinking he can threaten my own wife.”

“He has to be watching us if he knew where I was.”

Rocco turns back to me. “This is why you need to stay close to me. Promise me you won’t leave again.”

“I promise,” I say, even though I feel my heart slowly getting put into a cage as I say it.

He studies me for a moment. “You mean that? Because right now, I don’t trust you.”

“Maybe I don’t trust you,” I mutter before I can stop myself.

“What did you say to me?”

I duck my head. “It’s nothing.”

He makes a sound in the back of his throat and puts his finger under my chin, lifting my face up to meet his. “Stop hiding from me. It’s getting on my nerves.”

“Sorry.”

“You always apologize for everything. It’s annoying, too. Just do as I say, and we won’t have any problems.”

I meet Rocco’s eyes. They’re so full of intensity and anger. I shiver at the sight. “You make it sound so easy.”

“That’s because it is.”

I can feel his finger against my skin. As I swallow, he presses harder against the underside of my jaw. “Do you care about me?”

His eyes flash with an emotion I can’t make out. “Why do you ask?”

“When I woke up, you looked nervous. I was just curious.”

“Of course, I was worried,” he says harshly, not sounding worried at all. “You just passed out. Having a dead wife would be inconvenient.”

I flinch. “You don’t have to be mean.”

“It’s the world we live in, Lara. Might as well get used to it.” He moves his hand up my face, so it’s cupping my cheek. “You’re so innocent. But you’ll learn. I had to be hard to get where I am in life, and I’ll only have to be harder as I continue. There’s no time for weakness. If Dante and Carlo are coming after me, I need to be prepared. We both do. I can’t spend my time worrying about you. So, stay by my side, and we won’t have any issues.”

“All right,” I whisper. “As long as I still get to see my father.”

He shakes his head. “It’s too dangerous right now. If Dante has eyes on your father’s house, you can’t see him.”

“But he could come here.”

“I can’t risk anyone coming to my house right now. Not while they’re watching.” My house, I notice he says. Not our house.

My heart sinks. “I can’t see my father ever again?”

“Just for the time being.” He leans in closer to me. “But don’t worry. Once I’m in charge, you’ll have all the time in the world to spend with your father. He is, after all, my ally.”

But I won’t have forever. My father only has a few months to live. He could die tomorrow, and I won’t be there.

I find myself holding back from telling Rocco this. I don’t want my father’s impending death to impact their alliance. My father wants me safe with Rocco, so I need to focus on our marriage.

But that means not being there for my dad when he needs me the most.

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