Page 33 of Ruined in Vows

“Hey,” her soft voice echoes in the space.

“Hey.” My gaze flicks to my office. “I’m going to try and get some more work done.” I step forward, pausing when she rushes down the stairs.

“Luca, wait.”

Annoyance has my jaw grinding shut. The less time I have to spend looking at my lying, deceitful wife the better. I don’t know what I am capable of or what I might do, if she gets in my space.

“What do you want, Cat?” I bite out, not bothering to look at her.

Her hands land on my chest making my body tense. It takes everything in me not to push her touch away. “I made dinner. Ple-a-s,” she stutters out, her voice breaking, and I know it has everything to do with Benito and not me. “Please, can we have dinner together? I need you tonight.”

My lips tug up into a sardonic smirk as I glance down at her. Caterina doesn’t need me. She is just emotional and wantscomfort. Has she not realized by now, she is not going to get that from me?

“Why?” I snap, making her jump.

“Why what?” she asks, frowning.

“Why do you need me?”

“I always need you,” she whispers, casting her lying eyes to the floor.

As much as I want to call her out, maybe wrap my fingers around her throat and watch as the life drains from her, I need to be rational, calculated. Cat cannot suspect anything.

“Okay.”

Her gaze snaps to me. “Okay?” she repeats, hope in her eyes. Silly woman thinks I am going to fuck her.

“Yeah. Let’s have dinner together.”

Her shoulders sag in disappointment. “Okay.” Her eyes narrow as if she just remembered something. “Where were you today? You didn’t answer my calls.” Accusation laces every word.

“Doctor’s appointment,” I drawl, brushing past her and ignoring her other questions.

Between her, her brother and the conversation I just heard, they have brought to light the lingering questions I have had since the moment I awoke.

This is not my life.

I just have to find out the reasons why they would try to convince me that it is.

Chapter 22

Allegra

“How are you feeling about everything?” Athena asks, sipping her tea on the queen-sized bed next to mine. We are sharing a room in the suite, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have my friend with me.

After tossing and turning all night, my mind in overdrive trying to come up with ways to get through to Dante, I’m a zombie. Red rimmed eyes, sore from crying, my usual olive skin a ghostly white.

I am the definition of a hot mess.

Grinning, I widen my eyes dramatically, pointing to myself when I ask in a tone full of sarcasm. “I’m sure from the state of me you can guess how I feel?”

She chuckles, climbing off her bed and onto mine. Wrapping her arms around me, she gathers me up in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Allegra. I genuinely believed that when we saw him by the fountains, he would beyourDante. At that moment, I was so happy for you. That was, until he looked at you in confusion and we quickly realized that he didn’t know who he was.”

My eyes squeeze shut at the memory, throat tight. “My emotions are all over the place. I am obviously so happy that he is alive, but with the memory loss… I am navigating unknownwaters. It’s choppy, desolate, vast, relentless, merciless and unnerving. And if I can’t pull us to safety, and it takes us under… then I have the awful gut punching feeling he will be lost to me forever.”

“Sounds awful,” Athena agrees quietly.

Pulling out of her hold, I smile sadly. “Yeah, it does. But there is still hope. Not only is it all those scary things, it’s also beautiful, magnificent and never ending, which is how I would describe my love for Dante. And no matter what happens, I owe it to him, to us, to fight, even if it terrifies me. Even if I don’t know what I’m dealing with. I won’t give up.”

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