Page 29 of Scar

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Where am I going?” My voice trembles slightly as I confront him, a mix of frustration and confusion bubbling up inside me. I can feel the crease in my frown deepening, the worry lines etching themselves onto my face. My heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing my unease. His silence only heightens my anxiety, the uncertainty of the situation wrapping around me like a suffocating shroud.

“It’s just a security measure,” he murmurs, his eyes falling to my lips as he winds an arm around my waist.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Scar’s hand goes to my forehead, catching a wayward strand of my hair and brushing it behind my ear. His touch is gentle, almost reverent, as if he’s afraid I might shatter beneath his fingers. I look up at him, my eyes meeting his, and in that moment, something passes between us. There’s an intensity in his gaze that I haven’t seen before, a raw vulnerability that makes my heart skip a beat.

A new kind of tension settles between us. It’s not the sharp, jagged tension of hostility, but something softer, deeper—an unspoken understanding that neither of us fully grasps yet.

Scar’s fingers linger at my temple, then trace the curve of my ear. “You’re beautiful, Allegra,” he murmurs, his voice rough with emotion. “I don’t think I ever really noticed before.”

My breath catches in my throat. This is the same man who, just weeks ago, treated me with nothing but cold indifference, and now his words are filled with a sense of longing that leaves me breathless. I search his eyes, trying to understand this sudden change, this newfound tenderness.

“Why are you sending me away?” I ask.

His gaze is unwavering as turmoil clouds his eyes and silence shrouds us. He moves his hand until his palm is cupping my face and his thumb brushes gently across my cheek. He leansin, his lips brushing against mine in a kiss that is both tender and passionate. It’s a kiss filled with promises and unspoken words, a kiss that speaks of longing and desire. I melt into him, my arms wrapping around his neck as I pull him closer. There’s a desperation in our embrace, a need to bridge the silence that threatens this tentative truce between us.

When we finally break apart, we’re both breathless, our foreheads resting against each other. Scar’s hand cradles my face, his thumb stroking my cheek in soothing circles.

“I’ll do anything to protect you, Allegra,” he whispers, his voice fierce with determination. “Anything.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. For the first time since our marriage, I feel a glimmer of hope, a spark of something more than just duty and obligation. I can see the man behind the mask, the one who’s been hiding behind walls of ice and indifference.

“Protect me from what?” I ask, my voice trembling. “What’s happened?”

Scar sighs, his expression softening, yet a shadow passes over his features, a flicker of something dark and unsettling.

“An unexpected…complication,” he murmurs.

I frown. What sort of a complication could have me packing a bag and leaving him?

“My mother... she’s back.”

I’ve never met the woman. I can’t say I even knew that she was still alive; I guess I always assumed that she was dead and gone like his father. I don’t know why her return should mean so much to either of us. It would be a good thing…wouldn’t it?

“Why would I need protection from your mother?” I whisper.

He shakes his head, frustration evident in his eyes. “I don’t know her reasons, Allegra. She’s always had herown agenda, and it rarely aligns with anyone else’s. But her presence... it complicates things.”

I shake my head, not understanding. How does a mother complicate things? Why should she even be an issue?

Scar’s hand tightens around mine, his grip almost desperate. She’s... she can be ruthless, volatile, and I don’t know what she’s planning. But I need you to trust me, to trust the decisions I make.”

His words hang heavy in the air, the gravity of the situation sinking in. The unknown threat his mother poses adds a layer of tension to our already complicated relationship. I can see the fear in Scar’s eyes, the fear of losing me, of losing what we’ve just begun to build together. It wasn’t easy for us to get here; obviously, he believes his mother has the power to destroy the road we’re navigating.

“I’m not going anywhere, Scar.”

I’m emphatic. I won’t leave him to deal with this on his own.

“I need you to trust me, Allegra. It’s only for a little while. But I can’t risk your safety, and with Benita Gatti, there’s just no telling how far she’ll go.”

CHAPTER 27 – SCAR

The heavy oak doors of the study creak open, breaking the tense silence. My mother strides in, dressed in a fitted black suit with matching stiletto heels. She exudes an air of danger and dominance, her chin held high arrogantly. I feel nothing for the woman who gave birth to us as she stares at us in turn. She is a stranger who has reappeared after an absence of fourteen years.

My finger is itching to pull the trigger on her, the way my father should have done all those years ago. But he spared us then, exiling her instead of killing her. And now, I follow in his footsteps and spare her only for the sake of my brothers. But there is a limit to how much I will tolerate from her before handing her the rope to hang herself with.

“Mother,” Brando's voice cuts through the tension like ice as he regards the woman who gave him life but also brought death to his doorstep. If anyone can claim to hate her more than I do, it would be Brando. He's the one who suffered the most from what she did – we all suffered, but he carries the weight of her actions.

---