Page 181 of My Ruthless Husband

“Is there anything youcan’tdo?” I tease. “Who knew my billionaire husband was also a mechanic?”

A flicker of a smile crosses his face, then fades as he says, “My father was a mechanic.”

His words surprise me, and I frown slightly. “Your father...?”

He doesn’t look up. “My biological father,” he clarifies, his tone flat.

“Oh…” The silence hangs between us as I take in his words, and for a moment, I’m reminded of just how little I know about his past—about his birth parents, his roots. He’s always been so guarded, and I haven’t dared to ask because earlier, he barely spoke to me, and now I don’t want to push him into sharing something he’s not ready to.

“Anthony Sabatino was one of a kind. Never had any formal education, but he didn’t need it. He taught himself everything he knew, and he was damn good at it. Best in the business, everyone said.”

I’m stunned, not just by his words, but by the way he’s letting me in, opening up when I never expected him to. There’s a vulnerability in his voice, something I haven’t heard before, and it shakes me to the core.

“He sounds like an incredibly talented man.” My voice is soft.

“He was.”

“What happened?”

His expression changes in an instant. “His talent became the cause of his death,” he says, his voice hard and clipped.

My breath catches. “Was there an accident? Did something—”

Damian slams the hood shut abruptly; his expression unreadable as he slips back into the driver’s seat.

Wordlessly, I open the passenger door and slide into my seat. His expression is hard as he stares straight ahead, his walls firmly back in place.

But as we drive, my mind keeps drifting back to what he said about his father, Anthony Sabatino. My gut can sense that something is horribly wrong. And Damian’s sudden change in demeanor has only solidified that feeling, leaving me unsettled and desperate for answers.

???

The air grows cooler as we arrive at a secluded spot, miles away from the city and in the middle of nowhere.

So this was his surprise, I think internally as Damian parks the car in a small clearing. The distant glow of Auckland’s city lights twinkles like stars fallen to Earth.

Damian planned a stargazing outing. Just like I did back then. My heart melts but I can still feel the tension between us from earlier.

I feel awkward, standing to the side because Damian doesn’t let me help, unloading the baskets and blanket all on his own. He wraps me up in a dark hoodie he pulls out of the backpack.

“Thanks,” I tell him softly. He responds by pressing his lips against my forehead.

The view is breathtaking; the sky sprawls above us, studded with countless stars, yet all I can focus on is the silence between us. I glance sideways at him as we settle onto the blanket he spreads out.

Even physically here, Damian is miles away.

I draw a deep breath and decide to take a leap. “So,” I begin, trying to break the ice, “you come to New Zealand often, right?”

When a few seconds stretch into silence, I start to wonder if he’s going to say anything at all. But then, his voice breaks through, “Yes. I have two companies here. One I started three years ago, and the other I took over about six months ago.”

“You must’ve visited this place so many times.”

“This is actually my first time,” he says, shocking me.

“Why?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise.

“Why what?” he replies, brow furrowing.

“I mean, why haven’t you ever come here before?”

---