Page 45 of The Forbidden Husband

I shook my head and took a small step back. The counter pressed into my back.

“There’s nothing more to tell you. I have been here. I don’t know what he has planned.”

Lie. Lie. Lie.

Why had my entire life become an endless lie for a man who didn’t deserve that kind of loyalty?

“He is my greatest enemy, and anyone who works with him is on that same list. I lost my father and mother because he was pushing the buttons of a man who was too powerful to handle. Because he made an enemy out of someone who already wanted us both dead.”

“That would have happened without his involvement,” I countered.

“You don’t think that Noemi’s presence influenced it? You don’t think Petrov learned about your father’s shortcomings and used my father to send a message?”

I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I knew my sister, and I knew she wasn’t capable of murder. She would have never used Anton to hurt another person. “My sister had nothing to do with any of this.”

“Do you?”

I leaned back as he placed his hands on either side of me and locked me against the counter.

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m threatening anyone who works with your father. Is that you?”

I scoffed and shook my head. “I know you’re used to disloyal people, but if you continue accusing me of betraying you, maybe one of these days, I’ll have to give you a reason to be suspicious.”

His eyes narrowed. The green of his eyes pierced through me, and it felt like he could extract everything I knew from just that look. A wavy strand of hair broke away from the rest of his hair and fell down his forehead. My hand moved involuntarily, sweeping it back upward.

His hand caught my wrist. “Tell me about him, Aria.”

“I don’t want to talk about him.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

I had so many options, and so few at the same time. If I came clean about my involvement, everything would fall apart. I may have been married to Enzo, but I knew it wouldn’t matter in the scheme of things. He would kill me, and he wouldn’t hesitate. It didn’t matter that I could feel our connection strengthening with each day and each subtle brush of skin.

“I have a choice to disclose whatever is necessary for you to keep your family safe, but my information won't do that.” I paused. “And frankly, Enzo, there is no reason for me to sit here and spill all my family’s history to you when you’re interested in nothing from me besides maybe sex. If you are not willing to invest in me as a wife, I am not willing to spill the darkest parts of my past for your leisure.”

His jaw ticked as if he was trying to keep his frustration in check.

But I realized something as his eyes darted around the kitchen. I didn’t have many choices—especially not given my sisters and their safety—but I could play the game too. I didn’thave to make my father out to be a decent person. If anything, it would serve my purposes better to tell the truth.

If they knew even a fraction of the truth, they might finally use their forces to strike and take him down. If I gave them enough information, Enzo could see it through before my sisters were ever caught in the crosshairs. It would be a gamble, but it might be my only chance. I couldn’t go through with killing Giovanni, so it was only a matter of time until there were consequences.

And there was only one thing I could tell him to motivate his family to take action.

One truth I had never told anyone.

“I can’t be sent back to him.”

Enzo shot his gaze to me, but I didn’t meet his eyes as I relived the images that I was about to reveal to him. Admitting to this had the potential to backfire irreparably. I had known about his lies without ever telling a soul, and it had gotten people killed. It had drawn unrest in both peoples. I wasn’t sure if Enzo would understand the reason I kept the secret. He didn’t have any full siblings. He had a half-brother who worked for my father, but they hadn’t talked in years.

He didn’t understand the love I had for Livia and Evelina, and he never would.

“There is one thing I know, and it’s something I swore to never tell anyone. If my father finds out that I told you, he will torture and kill the two people who mean more to me than life itself. Enzo, if it gets out what I am about to tell you about my father, innocent people will die. My father will make sure of it.”

A crease formed in Enzo’s forehead.

“What did he do to you?”

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