Page 88 of Deception

And I'll have to accept the consequences if she refuses.

20

ISABELLA

I’ve had very little time to myself lately.

Not that I've wanted to spend much time alone. Alessandro and I have sought each other out at every opportunity. There’s not a second that goes by that I don't think of what we’ll do next.

More like what he’ll do to me next.

The things I’ve done the past few weeks should shock me. Even a year ago, that version of myself would be appalled at my actions now.

But what did she know about love?

Alessandro fills me with a warmth that I’ve never experienced. It’s closely tied to the thrill and the unsettling fact that I’m in love with a dangerous man, one who I am becoming less and less convinced killed my brother Giorgio.

He has killed others. He’s all but come out and said it on several occasions.

As a result of our affair, my conviction has slipped. I haven’t been doggedly searching the house or trying to ask the right questions to find more clues.

Because I haven’t wanted to face reality.

That I am here under false pretense. Knowing that Alessandro values loyalty above all else.

Maybe I haven’t given him enough credit. Maybe I should just come out and tell him everything, explain myself and hope for the best.

Pacing my room on our last day at the lodge, I check my phone, the date. Three weeks.

Three weeks I’ve been here, and my entire world has changed.

Since Adriano got the power back on, I’ve hesitated to check my messages and emails. A flood of texts and check-ins from friends and my mother fill my inbox, tugging at my heart.

It’s hard to know where to start.

We leave tomorrow. And I’ll go back to Rome.

Empty handed. Empty hearted.

Flipping through my calendar I stop dead in the middle of my room.

“Shit.” The word doesn’t quite capture the sinking feeling I get in my chest.

I’ve always kept careful track of my periods. Mostly because the women in my family tend to have irregular, very painful cycles. It resulted in my nonna and my mother both having surgeries and issues during pregnancy.

“It’s just irregular. Yeah, that’s it…” I mumble to myself, looking through the past few months.

Clockwork.

Mine have been like clockwork. And I should have started several days ago.

Panic coils up around my throat.

A million excuses flash through my mind. “Could be stress. Maybe altitude?” My whispered words are no comfort.

“Or it could be the fact that I’ve been with Alessandro over and over and over again without being even slightly careful!” I groan, slumping onto the corner of the bed.

It never even occurred to me to bring protection on my trip.

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