Page 107 of Dark Mafia Bride

““I’m sure nothing stays hidden for long when it comes to you, Zia,” Mirabella shoots back, her smile as cold as ice. “Besides, if I were sick, your nephew would’ve arranged for me to see the family doctor.”

Your nephew.

NotEttore.

Notmy husband.

Your nephew.

I swallow the lump in my throat, feeling my chest tighten.

“If you all would excuse me.” With an exaggerated politeness, she smiles at everyone in the roomexceptme before standing and gliding out without a second glance.

I grit my teeth. The tension crackles in the air. Everyone at the table knows something’s wrong. But I don’t care. I don’t care if they’re all watching.

I stand up so abruptly my chair screeches across the floor, and I storm after her, my heart pounding in my ears. Her footsteps echo in the stillness, but mine are louder as I follow her up the stairs.

“Mirabella,” I call out, my voice sharper than I intended. She’s heading for the guest room—the one she stayed in whenshe first moved in here, the room where it all started to go wrong.

She freezes mid-step but doesn’t look back. She’s waiting, her back straight, shoulders tense, and I can see the way her fingers clench by her sides.

“I think we need to talk.”

She turns slowly, her eyes meeting mine, but there’s nothing in them. No remorse. No fear. Just that damned unreadable mask she’s gotten so good at wearing.

“Do we?” she responds, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Because, as far as I’m concerned, you made it pretty clear there’s nothing left to discuss.”

“That’s not for you to decide,” I snap, my voice low but steady. “You don’t get to walk away from this. You don’t get to act like the victim whenyou’rethe one who cheated.”

Her jaw clenches, her eyes narrowing, and she shoots me a look that could kill. “I didn’t cheat on you.”

I let out a bitter laugh, a sound that doesn’t reach my eyes. “Do you think I’m stupid, Mirabella? Do you really think I’ll believe your lies anymore? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” My voice cracks, and I hate how much it betrays me, but I’m too far gone now.

“If you’re so sure of what you think you know, then why are you even here?” Her voice is venom, but the cracks are there. I can hear it. She’s losing control, too.

“Because Ineedto hear it from you,” I say, stepping closer, my chest tightening. “I need to hear why you did it.”

She presses her lips together, holding something back. “I didn’t cheat?—”

“So the pictures were fake, then? You didn’t kiss Milo?” I spit the words at her, each one like a slap.

“Milo kissed me,” she says through gritted teeth.

I feel the heat rise in my chest. “Oh,sothat’s how it was? He kissed you, but you didn’t kiss him back?” I almost choke on the bitterness. “Did heforceyou to kiss him? Did he force you to cry in his arms while he wiped your tears away?”

“I didn’t expect him to kiss me. I didn’t want him to kiss me--”

The words come out sharper than I mean them to, but I can’t stop. “Tell me, Mirabella, did you cry about how awful it is being married to me? Did you cry because you couldn’t wait for it to end so you could go back to him?”

She recoils, but the damage is already done. “What the hell are you talking about?” she scoffs, her face a mixture of confusion and something darker I can’t place. “You’re insane.”

“I guess Zia Camilla was right after all,” I mutter, the words tasting like acid in my mouth. “You’re nothing but a gold-digging slut.”

Her eyes flash with fury. For a split second, I think she’s going to strike me, her hand raised in a blur of motion. But before she can, I catch her wrist in mid-air, gripping it tight and pushing her back against the wall.

She gasps, trying to yank her arm free, but I don’t let go. My heart’s hammering in my chest, every muscle in my body rigid with a mix of rage and something darker.

“You haven’t learned a damned thing, have you?” I growl, my voice rough, barely under control. My body presses against hers, and I can feel the heat of her skin, the rapid beat of her pulse against my fingers.

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