Page 135 of Phantom Mine

Valentina finally feels the pull of my gaze. Her head turns and she scans the crowd minutely until her eyes find mine.

Her reaction is immediate.

Her face turns ashen.

The briefest flare of panic flashes in her eyes before it’s replaced with a heavier emotion.

Guilt. It’s guilt.

And there’s the final confirmation I needed to know the awful truth—she’s a spy and she’s cheating on me.

The weight of her betrayal takes me out at the knees. I can’t bear to think about how else she’s double-crossed me.

Valentina doesn’t linger.

She didn’t run from him, but she does run from me.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Valentina

If I ever tell the story of what happened tonight, I’ll say that I held Matteo’s gaze for at least two seconds before I turned heel and walked calmly away.

In reality, our gazes clash across the crowded ballroom and I freeze. His eyes leave me and an arctic chill races down my spine as they drag slowly over to Thiago. Not one muscle in his face moves except for his irises which slowly turn a violent shade of black.

Matteo’s face is always alive with motion—whether he’s bestowing charming smiles or arrogant smirks, or contemplatively considering something, or simply staring at me with eyes so bright you can see the stars burning in them, there’slifethere.

It’s gone now.

His features are lifeless, snuffed dead save for a promise of violence so cold it seems almost emotionless. I’ve never seen himlike this, not even at the club yesterday. That was a boiling kind of anger, this…this is arctic fury.

It’s far more terrifying.

So I run.

I run out of the ballroom in search of a place to hide.

I had no idea he’d be here tonight. I would never have come if I’d known. He said he was going to an event to follow a lead on his father’s kidnapping. I never even considered it might be the Tellier gala, especially because he’s never bothered to come to Underworld events in the past.

I guess I didn’t consider how his status has changed since the last time I attended one of these often tedious events. I’m hardly a fan of them myself, and the only reason I attended tonight’s was because of my brother’s texts from earlier.

Thiago:You’ve been dodging my calls but that doesn’t mean you can ignore what I want to talk about forever.

Thiago:First and foremost, where the fuck have you been,Vale?

Thiago:Once you’re done telling me why you’ve been avoiding Arturo and I for months, we’ll talk about your marriage prospects.

Thiago:I’ve officially started the search for your husband.

The instant sour feeling that burned through the walls of my stomach reading Thiago’s texts made me realize just how much has changed these last few months.

Previously, I was ready to go along with an arranged marriage. Even though the concept is archaic, it didn’t matter to me one way or the other becausenothingmattered to me.

But now…Well now, I know what it’s like to be with Matteo.

A future with him is impossible, but so is one with anybody else. At least right now, while we’re still together. It’ll end andthen I’ll face the inevitable, but I’m too entangled in him to be able to give him up.

That’s why I came tonight, so I could try to sweet talk Thiago into delaying any marriage talks until further notice.

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