Page 42 of Isaia

“All I’m asking,” she starts, “is that you listen to what he has to say.”

My heart slams against my chest, my skin instantly cold. “Mom? What did you do?”

“Five minutes, Everly. That’s all he’s asking.”

My stomach drops, and a sick, cold realization settles over me. I glance around, suddenly hyperaware of every shadowed corner, every glint of candlelight off polished silverware. The pristine dining room, with its glittering chandeliers and serene elegance, is now a cage.

I search my mother’s face, desperate for some sign that I’m wrong, that she wouldn’t really ambush me like this. But the guilt flickers in her eyes, unmistakable.

“I should have known.” I grab my bag, leap up, and as I turn to rush out, I’m met with steely gray eyes and the face of a tyrant.

“Everly.” God, even his voice sounds like a screech from the darkest pits of hell.

My insides burn with an anger that licks my veins. “I have nothing to say to you.”

His frame towers over me, large and intimidating. “Fine. I’ll do the talking.”

“The answer is, was, and will always be no,” I snarl. “I have to give it to you, though, using my mother’s cancer as a trap to lure me.” Something dawns on me, and I turn to look at my mother. “Do you even have cancer? Or was this all a ploy to?—”

“The cancer is real,” she states, her voice brittle as if spoken through shards of glass. “Nothing I said here today was a lie.”

“Making lemonade out of lemons, then, are we?” I spit, my gaze now electrifying.

His lips twist at my words; he’s too pleased with himself. The glimmer in his eyes sends chills rattling down my spine. “If you listen and are rational, you’ll realize I want what’s best for you—to keep you safe.”

Every word he says, pretending to care, makes me feel sick.

I stand tall, refusing to shrink away as I lock eyes with him. “You might be able to manipulate my mother, control her with your dark smokescreens and twisted lies, but I am not her. I’m not falling for your masquerade of concern.” I glance at my mother. “I’m here if you need to talk, and I will be there whenever you need me. But ambush me like this again, and that will be the last time you ever see me.”

“Everly, wait!” My mom shoots up from her chair, but Michele merely lifts his hand, stopping her.

“Let her go.” But there’s a flash of something sinister in his eyes, an unmissable curve at the edges of his mouth—like a thief, knowing all too well what he has already taken from you.

Warning licks the back of my neck, a sharp instinct that only strengthens as I push through the tables, heading for the exit. I don’t look back. I don’t stop. I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing how much they’ve gotten to me.

Once outside, the cool evening air feels like a baptism. I gulp it down, desperate to shake off the lingering reek of manipulation and deceit, to escape the grip of everything suffocating me inside that restaurant. But just as I begin to feel my pulse slow, a hand clamps around my arm, firm, unyielding, pulling me.

I twist, heart leaping, and meet his hard expression.

Isaia.

Chapter 13

EVERLY

“What are you doing?”

“Shut up and walk,” he demands.

I pull back, but Isaia’s hand tightens, his eyes never meeting mine as he forces me to walk beside him.

There’s a yellow Ferrari parked in front of us, and with one swift movement, Isaia reaches and grabs the handle. He opens the door in a smooth, controlled motion, his other hand still holding me firmly. His grip never loosens, even as he pulls the door open wider. “Get in.”

“What? I'm not going anywhere with you,” I spit back, bravado cloaking my trembling beneath its deceitful warmth. His eyes flash murderously, and he crowds me against the sleek car, every inch of him radiating an undeniable threat.

He yanks me close before crowding me against the sleek car, his eyes flashing murderously as he snarls. “I said. Get. In.”

A surge of tension coils in my chest, but I keep myself steady, meeting his glare head-on. “Fine,” I bite out, and with his firm grip still on my arm, he watches me slide into the passenger seat, his jaw tight, eyes blazing as he shuts the door with a heavy finality.

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