Page 48 of Twisted Obsession

He answered by crossing his arms over his chest. The Omega on his wrist caught the light from the modern chandelier above our heads, momentarily breaking my concentration.

‘Zeno was my brother.’

‘He was. But in any place in the world, not just in the depths of Calabria, Zeno had his death coming to him. Even when we were children, he was cruel and sadistic to any of us that came within his reach. You must remember that?’ I implored.

‘I know!’ Dante shouted back at me, and with a look of remorse he began to move closer, before eventually taking holdof my upper arms once again and staring intently into my eyes, willing me to understand.

‘I’m sorry for your papa. If he is innocent, I agree he didn’t deserve to be debilitated so young.’ I sighed out loud as I struggled with my own emotions. ‘But arranged marriages are the normal in our community and Salvatore loves Serafina.’

I watched him shake his head at my statement.

‘She deserves so much more than him.’ The pain he felt for her was evident.

‘She loves him, Dante.’ I spoke more quietly, trying to calm the situation down. ‘She’s so happy being back with him, even with everything that’s going on… I know their marriage was arranged, I was there the day they got married, but now they choose to be together, because love is there, surely you can see that? Even if you don’t want to. I know I’m not as worldly as you, but I know love when I see it.’

Dante pushed his tongue to his teeth before looking up to the ceiling. He released an audible exhale, before once again righting his head and finding my eyes with his own.

‘If you can see love, then look at me, Giovanna,’ he implored, as he once again tightened his hold on my arms. ‘Look at me and tell me what you find.’

For a few seconds, all I did was look and it was there. In all the things he’d said, and the many ways he’d supported me over the previous few days. It might have started as a way to get back at Salvatore, but I could see what was between us had turned into something more.

The strength of conviction I found within him was scary and just for a few seconds, I dipped my forehead to his chest. Once there I allowed myself to breathe him in. The pain he’d caused me turned to pleasure, as I understood that I meant something to him, and then back to pain as realisation at our situation hit me.

‘I see it,’ I cried out. ‘But oh my God, what have you done?’ Tears once again pricked the back of my eyes, as I looked back up at him. Thoughts and memories flew at me quickly as the sluggishness I’d been carrying since coming to, drifted away. Thoughts of the mess we’d run away from welled up inside of me. The family we’d left behind were in pieces. Now, more than ever, both of our families would need our support. I’d been selfish to think my needs were greater than any of theirs, even though I knew I didn’t understand them. To fight together, to stand by each other, was how we’d both been brought up, and now to add to everything else, Dante had taken me away.

But most of all, my memories were of what we’d said to each other. How I’d opened up to him and let him into my inner most thoughts. And although I now knew revenge had been his first thought when it came to me, I also understood he’d let me in too. When he’d talked about his family, and his hopes and dreams of finally making a life away from Italy. He explained with relish about the wonderful opportunities I, as a musician, would find in London and the places he could show me.

‘We were only going to be gone a couple of days at the most. We were going to meet my professor. I was going to play the piano for you. We were going to walk hand in hand around the Giardini Margherita, and at night I was going to fall asleep in your arms.’ I inhaled quickly as I attempted to keep my feelings in check. ‘It would have been just enough time for them to see we were capable of making our own decision to be together.’

‘If you thought that, Giovanna, then you’re even more innocent than I first thought.’

‘They might have been able to see how much we meant to each other,’ I implored.

‘You misunderstand me, amore mio. A few days of having you, whether for the vengeance I thought was my priority or to have you as mine, werenevergoing to be enough for me.’

‘They weren’t?’ I whispered.

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘What started out to inflict pain on your brother, backfired. I always knew I would never hurt you, but what I hadn’t taken into consideration was the fact I was never going to let you go.’ His blue eyes bled into mine. They were filled with truth and love, but also vengeance and pain. It didn’t matter how long I stared at him, I couldn’t differentiate which bits were meant for me, or God forbid, if all of it was meant for me. More worryingly was, I didn’t care. All I cared about was that we got to stay together.

‘He’s going to kill you.’ I felt my body sag with the pain of realisation.

Salvatore would kill him.

Salvatore would kill him with his bare hands or bleed him with his grandfather’s knife. I’d heard Gabriel and Romeo discuss my brother’s preferences when it came to taking the payment he felt he was due.

‘What have you done?’ I whispered, as finally my anger burnt out and was replaced with a feeling of hopelessness, and I forced my eyes from his.

Dante released his hold on my right arm and used his forefinger and thumb to tip my head back up, so my gaze met his once again.

‘What was required, amore mio,’ he countered.

‘Don’t you understand?’ I pleaded. ‘Even though I want to be, I cannot be your love. He will never allow it… Not now,’ I replied, as tears began to slowly run down my cheeks.

‘He wouldn’t have permitted it, even if we’d stayed there and pleaded our case. I’d have been sent to the far reaches of our family’s empire, or back to London. I can guarantee he would have paraded several more favourable suitors in front of you to get you to change your mind about me.’

‘I wouldn’t have accepted them.’

Dante closed the small gap between us, and with his body against mine he pushed until I met the wall behind me. As he reached out with his other hand, I saw a hint of the leather wrist bracelets beneath the cuff of his white shirt. He lifted his hand and his fingers gently traced down my tear-soaked cheek. My body reacted instantly to our connection. My eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds at his touch and my breathing faltered, before once again it followed a calm pattern.

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