Page 25 of The Don's Proposal

She’s hesitant at first before her eyes lower. Soon, she shakes her head.

“He’s been hinting at it for weeks now, nagging me about my responsibilities. Throw in how often he’s had meetings with a neighboring family, I think… No, I’m sure of it. He plans on marrying me off. Like I’m a piece of currency to help him with this stupid fight of his, he’s going to use me to get another family on his side. Just last night, he spent hours on the phone trying to push this marriage along. He should’ve been trying to rescue you, but no. He’s too good for that. Barking orders to get a marriage certificate and everything…”

I try to imagine what she’s trying to tell me. My brows come together as I work out who could’ve been the potential suitor. I might’ve rarely left in my room, but my window gave me more than enough of a view.

“Marino?” I whisper as I pick at my brain for names. “Someone from that family has been visiting a lot. I can’t remember his first name, though. It’s the guy with the eye patch, right?”

Her brows lift high before she nods. “Yeah, that guy. Sure, he’s not bad looking and all, but Rocco hasn’t even introduced us. He thinks I’d want to marry a complete stranger? Something tells me if I wouldn’t have left today, I’d be picking out a ring by the end of the day.” She scoffs and rolls her eyes before pausing. “Wait, how did you know that?Ididn’t even know which family he was from.”

Before I can tell her about how much time I’ve spent sneaking around, there’s movement.

She jumps as a hand clamps down on her shoulder. We both look up to see Urzo staring down at her. His nostrils are flared, his stare heavy. For once, there’s a hint of emotion on his face. Unfortunately for us, it’s rage.

I guess he can hear rather well. That, or we stopped whispering halfway through the secret.

“Santino needs to hear about this immediately.” He easily plucks her up by the arm as if she’s nothing more than a rag doll. Like whiplash, her body jerks with his.

Eliza growls at him, digging her nails into his hand to try to loosen his iron grip. “Thathurts, you asshole!”

He curses under his breath and releases his hold. “You need a fucking mute button.”

“Excuse me?” Already balling up her fists, I can see the heat filling her gaze, and I sigh softly.

Pressing a palm against her back, he pauses before looking over his shoulder. He squints at me like he can’t decide if I need to come as well. We were just discussing escape plans, after all. Finally, he makes up his mind.

“Be good.” Turning, he shoves my sister towards the door, ignoring any insults she sends his way as she stumbles forward.

I hope he doesn’t get frustrated with her. She never knows when to cool down, even when it’s good for her.

Left to my devices, I groan and sigh.

I don’t want to leave this place. I don’t want Eliza to give up on me and try to make it on her own. I don’t want Rocco to come hunt her down.

There’s so much I don’t want.

For just a moment, I got a taste of happiness. Now, I’m right back to stressing.

God, when did everything turn upside down?

There was a time when everything was easy. Back when our father was alive. My siblings were loving. Rocco was a completely different person. He was soft, caring and… he had a heart. He spoke to me like I was a person. Protected me like a big brother would.

Our father was poisoned, our mother disappeared, and everything burned to the ground. Rocco was thrown into the position with hardly much preparation, and many ties were cut.

The moment our mother disappeared, Rocco looked at me differently. Like an entirely different person. He looked like he wanted me dead, yet he never has tried to hurt me. Rather than physically cause me pain, he pretended I wasn’t part of the family. From that point forward, I stayed in my room. He didn’t kill me, but he didn’t let me live. Kept me like a secret never to get let out.

Eliza’s as clueless as I am about the matter. We’ve had this conversation a thousand times over.

Shaking my head at the reminder, I move to stand up.

I don’t want to be alone right now. Santino is busy from the sounds of it, and I’m sure I’d get in the way if I tried to follow the other two to figure out what was going on.

What I need is some fresh air. A place to clear my head.

While I am not anywhere close to having this place memorized, I can figure my way around. For the most part, I keep to myself. Clinging to the wall, I can feel the eyes pointed in my direction anytime I pass any men patrolling the estate.

I get it, I do. I am an enigma that no one understands. After getting caught, I shouldn’t still be breathing. What is so special about me that Santino has decided to let me live? It’s the same question I continue to ask myself every time I remind myself that I’m still alive.

Once someone has the answer, I would love to know.

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