Page 33 of Coerced Wife

For once, Saverio gives me a little space from him, letting me visit Livy the following morning with only my bodyguards. It’s a small consolation considering the hefty decisions he’s forcing on me. Falling for a morally gray man is one thing, but marrying him is another. Marriage is sacred. It’s a vow supposed to be made in love, and what we have is lust. It’s nothing but just another arranged marriage, a loveless trap with no expiration date, and I’ve seen how that turned out for Rachele and Elena.

My mood is heavy when I enter Livy’s building. The web is spinning tighter around me, and there’s no way out any longer. The spider already injected his deadly poison when he decided I was his prey, and now I’m addicted to his toxin. He’s devouring me bit by bit, taking away all my control. Before I know it, he’ll swallow me whole.

The thumping of music reaches me through the walls when I near Livy’s apartment.

She opens the door with a big smile, wearing a snazzy designer tracksuit and… Wait. Is that glitter in her hair? And what’s with the heavy metal that blares in the background?

“Come in,” she says over the music, pulling me in for a hug before shouting in my ear, “I baked apple pie.”

Ouch. That hurt my eardrum.

She rushes to a boom box sprayed with dayglo graffiti that stands on the coffee table in the lounge and switches it off.

I walk into the welcome warmth of her apartment, inhaling the fragrance of cinnamon and apples that hangs in the air.

Unwinding the light cotton scarf from around my neck, I ask, “Are you listening to metal now?”

“I was just practicing some dance moves.” She walks with a brisk pace to the kitchen. “Come through. Let’s sit at the table. You’ll get glitter on your clothes if you sit on the sofa. I may have shaken it over the furniture when I got to the head banging bit of my repertoire.” She saysrepertoirewith an exaggerated French accent.

Grinning, I close the door and follow her to the kitchen.

“How are you doing?” she asks, pulling out a chair by the table.

“I was fired,” I blurt out.

She props her hands on her hips. “Is this what that old hog, Ms. Price, told you?”

“Ms. Lewis is making changes.”

She purses her lips. “Karen has always been jealous of anyone more talented or prettier than her.” A frown creases her brow. “Do you have something else lined up?”

I admit with reluctance, “Saverio wants me to work for him.”

“That’s wonderful,” she exclaims. “Then everything will fall into place. You’ll be a great asset for his team, and he’s such a clever businessman.” Waving a finger at me, she adds, “That man is going places.”

I let her believe that, not saying anything as she bustles to the kettle and switches it on.

“Tea?” she shoots over her shoulder. “It’ll warm us up.” She rubs her hand. “There’s a chill in the air today.”

“Thanks.” I try to smile. “You sit down. I’ll make the tea.”

She busies herself with setting out plates and cutting the pie while I brew and pour the tea.

When she takes a seat opposite me, I ask something I’ve been wondering about for years. “Why did you never settle down with a man, Livy?” I add quickly, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

A wistful look comes over her features. “I was in love once.” She stares at a spot on the wall with a soft glint in her midnight blue eyes. “Was I ever in love.” She cups her mug. “Oh, the naughtiness we got up to. We did wild, terrible things that will make you blush.” Sighing in a happy rather than a sad way, she meets my eyes again. “It was the kind of love that happens only once in a lifetime, perhaps once in a thousand years, so when he died, I knew there would never be anyone else for me.” She nods to herself. “Oh yes, Harvard Jackson ruined me for all other men.” She adds with a mischievous smile, “He made a thorough job of it too, and I loved every minute.”

I reach over the table to squeeze her arm. “Oh, Livy, I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be. I don’t regret meeting Harvey, not even for a second. Every moment we had together wasmagic. He gave me enough to last me a lifetime. You see, when he passed away, my love didn’t die. I love him still, to this day.”

My chest squeezes with compassion. “Aren’t you ever lonely?”

“I like my own company. I have a full life. I plan on enjoying each second until I skid into my grave.” She holds up a finger. “I could do a knee-slide and some serious head banging on the way out. I’ve always liked to shake my hair with my booty. That will be a grand way to make an exit.”

I laugh, imagining the scene. “You’re something else.”

She winks. “I should change myrepertoire. My choreography needs something a little livelier.” She pushes a plated piece of pie my way. “What about you? Is Saveriothe one?”

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