Page 94 of Vengeful Princess

“What are you talking about?” The note he’d left me back then said I was a whore, yet it had made no sense to me at the time. It still didn’t. Until I arrived here, Dar was the only boy who’d touched me. Kissed me.

The hard shell protecting my emotions cracked and tears pricked my eyes. Who was this man and what had he done with the sweet boy I remembered?

This wasn’t my Dar. My Dar was kind, funny, and he cared about me.

At least I’d thought so until he left that note on my pillow, along with the bracelet I’d made him as a gift.

“I’m talking about how you were supposed to be mine, except you couldn’t wait, could you?” He snarled, lip curling up with derision. “No, instead of waiting, you went off and gave it up to a bunch of other guys!” His fists clenched as I tried to process what he was telling me.

My forehead scrunched in confusion. Nothing he said made sense. Kyril was my first. I hadn’t so much as looked at another guy until I came here. Why would he think differently?

“I fucking loved you, Thea! But you broke my heart and I won’t ever forgive you for that.” He picked up Milo’s mug of tepid coffee and threw it in my face.

It was like a scene from The Matrix, where time froze for everyone but me. Coffee dripped down my face in dark rivulets, staining my shirt.

The guys clearly had no clue what was going on, but Kyril reacted first. He launched himself over the table, fists flying, and then all hell broke loose.

52

Dario

9 years ago

From the moment I saw Theadora di Luca in her father’s garden, she captivated me with her long, black hair and eyes so dark it was as if she’d swallowed my soul when she stared up at me.

“Who are you?” she asked curiously. She wore a pretty pink dress, but her knees were mud stained and there were leaves caught in her glossy hair.

“Dario Peretti, but my friends call me Dar. My father is here to see yours.” I wasn’t sure why Dad had brought me along. The minute we arrived, he told me to wait in the garden, which was a relief. I’d met Francesco di Luca once before, and he scared me.

“Oh. I’m Theadora, but you can call me Thea. How old are you?” She kicked some gravel with the toe of her shoe and peered up at me through thick lashes.

“Hi, Thea. I’m 12.”

“I’m 10 and Verity’s 3.”

“Verity?” I didn’t know Francesco had two daughters. Dad hadn’t said much to me in the car on the way over. Only that Francesco’s daughter might be around.

Thea clammed up immediately. “Verity is my…cat.”

Oh. I guess that made sense. My Nonna’s cat was 18 and still going strong. “Can I see her?”

“No.” Theadora spun and ran off into the trees, her hair flying like a banner in the humid afternoon air. I paused for a moment and then gave chase, ignoring the sweat trickling down my neck. By the time I caught up with her - she was faster than I expected - she’d ducked inside a small stone chapel. Thick moss partially obscured the entrance, but a flash of pink gave her away.

The air was blissfully cool inside. Cobwebs covered the weathered stone wall while light filtered through the stained glass window at the head of the nave.

An old wooden bench lay on its side. When I peered through the gloom, I could see red wax stains on the floor in places. The place reeked of neglect and age, and I wondered if it was haunted.

Although I guessed not, as Thea didn’t seem scared.

“You should go,” she said in a flat voice when she saw me. “Papa doesn’t want me to have friends.”

She sat on a lump of stone, resting her chin on her knees. For such a pretty girl, she seemed so very sad. Why was she sad?

“Your papa told me to come and find you,” I lied, sitting down on the same piece of stone, keeping a respectable distance between us.

From her frown, she didn’t believe me, but she made no further attempt to run off.

We sat in silence for a while. Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me. It was one of my less endearing qualities, according to my mama. She always said my curious nature would get me killed one day. Usually after she’d caught me poking around in my father’s study.

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