Page 70 of The Forbidden Husband

Enzo stepped forward and looked down at me, his expression serious. “We have to go before Alonzo’s reinforcements arrive. Do I need to carry her out?”

I knew why he was asking. I would get a call from my father within the week, and he would try to use Livia again. He would threaten her to get what he wanted, and I couldn’t be put in that position again.

I looked at her, and I saw every ounce of the rebellious, cunning young woman she had become. Livia had never been reckless or stupid. She had always known exactly what she was doing, and she had to have a reason for staying—one that went beyond this situation.

“I can’t come for you again,” I told her, hand hovering over my belly. “I have to focus on my own family now.”

Her eyes drifted to where my hand rested above my womb, and they widened before meeting mine again. This time, they seemed more intent. More determined.

“I understand.”

Sadness filled me and I considered the merits of having Enzo carry her out. But I knew that it would mean nothing. Livia would come back as soon as she had the chance, and though I didn’t understand her reasons, I knew she had them.

“I love you, Ari. I’m excited to meet the little peanut one day.”

I felt a tear fall from my eye as I stepped forward and held her for just a moment.

“I love you,” I whispered. “Please, be safe.”

When I finally released her and left the room, I knew it would be the last time I saw my sister for a very long time. I didn’t even want to consider what she had endured in that house, but I had to shift my focus. I gave her a way out, and that was the most I could do.

I had to keep my baby safe now.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Enzo Rissi

Aria looked at me every few seconds, sitting ramrod straight and biting her lip as if she wanted to say something but wouldn’t start the conversation. My words ran through my mind fueling the combination of anger and terror that rushed through me.

For the entire drive to my home in Morris Park, only the faint sound of the driver’s jazz music drifted between us.

I wanted to scream at her.

I wanted to hold her and shield her from anything like this ever happening again.

I wanted to fucking strangle her.

I kept all my thoughts—all my emotions—on a tight leash. I had kept everything under control since learning of her betrayal, and the floodgates had burst when we settled in this car alone. I allowed everything to spill into my thoughts as I considered what I would say and do about all of this.

But for the hour-long drive, I stewed in all of it.

The driver parked and as we approached my house, finding yellow crime scene tape covering the door, I tore it down and stormed inside. She followed behind me. Slowly. Cautiously.

“If anyone else is in here, get the fuck out,” I shouted through my house.

A handful of guys wearing the crime-scene cleanup gear rushed up the basement stairs and nodded at me as they left. They were my guys, all dressed in a way that wouldn’t make the neighborhood suspicious.

When the door slammed, I whipped around to face Aria.

She took a small step back. “I… I’m sorry.”

I didn’t allow her to speak as I raised my voice. “Why the fuck would you do this?” I shouted. I needed an outlet for the rage that had been brewing, so I grabbed a potted plant and threw it against the wall. It shattered, and she flinched. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

She took another step back.

Away fromme.

“I… I had to keep my sisters safe. And when I learned who you were… when I learned that you weren’t a monster like everyone made you out to be… I tried to call it off. I tried to tell my dad not to do this anymore. I swear, Enzo, I tried. But then he sent me a picture of Evelina being auctioned off, and—”

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