Page 95 of Made for Reign

"Of course, I totally understand." Tiffany's smile returns, warm and genuine. "Family comes first. We missed you, though. Jennifer brought those photos from junior year when we wonstate championships, and we all got so nostalgic talking about the old routines."

"That sounds wonderful. I'm sorry I missed it."

"Well, maybe next time. We're already talking about doing another get-together next summer." She glances at her watch. "I should probably get back to my client, but it was so good to see you! And congratulations on the engagement!"

"Thank you," I manage.

She gives me a quick hug and hurries away, leaving me standing beside Gio. I can feel his eyes on me, studying my face, reading the tension in my shoulders.

"Interesting," he says quietly.

"What's interesting?" I try to keep my voice light, casual.

"Your story about your step-grandmother in Sarasota." His hand settles on my elbow, firm enough to guide me toward a quieter corner of the room. "Lucille's mother lives in Phoenix, not Florida. And she's been dead for three years."

The bottom falls out of my world. Of course, he knows. Of course, he's memorized every detail about my family, my history, my life. How could I have been so stupid?

"I misspoke," I say weakly. "I meant Phoenix, not Sarasota. And it wasn't Lucille's mother, it was?—"

"Stop." His voice is soft, but there's steel underneath it. "Just stop talking."

We've reached a corner near the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the city. The view is spectacular, but all I can focus on is the way Gio's grip on my elbow has tightened, the way his body has shifted to block me from the rest of the room.

"Where were you that weekend, Audrey?"

"I told you, there was a family emergency?—"

"There was no family emergency." His voice is still quiet, controlled, but I can hear the edge creeping in. “So, I'll ask you again. Where were you?"

My mind races, searching for another lie, another explanation that might satisfy him. But I can see in his eyes that he already knows I'm lying. Maybe he doesn't know the specifics, but he knows.

And suddenly, I'm tired of lying. Tired of performing. Tired of pretending to be someone I'm not for a man who doesn't deserve the truth anyway.

"I can explain," I start.

"I'm sure you can. But not here." His fingers dig into my arm just hard enough to make his point clear. "We'll discuss this later, after we get through the rest of this reception."

He turns slightly, scanning the room with the practiced eye of someone used to managing situations. "Right now, we have investors to impress and a fight to get to. Ben's title bout starts in two hours, and we need to make our appearance."

"Gio, please?—"

"We'll talk about your mysterious weekend later, Audrey. Right now, you're going to smile and play the role of the perfect fiancée for two more hours. Can you manage that?"

The threat in his voice is unmistakable, even wrapped in polite words. I nod, not trusting my voice.

"Good." He releases my arm and steps back, his businessman's smile sliding back into place as if nothing happened. "Let's go say goodbye to our guests. We have a fight to attend."

As he guides me back toward the crowd, his hand firm on my back, I catch my reflection in the dark window. I look pale, shaken, like a woman who's just realized she's trapped in a cage that's smaller than she thought.

But the reflection doesn't tell the whole story. Beneath the fear, beneath the panic at being caught in my lie, there's something else. Something that's been growing stronger every day since I met Reign. It's the part of me that refused to breakunder Gio's interrogation. The part that chose silence over more lies. The part that's learning to fight back.

Tomorrow, that part of me will be free. Tomorrow, Reign and I leave for Montana. Tomorrow, this life ends, and my real life begins.

I just have to survive tonight. But as I plaster on my society smile and let Gio parade me around the room like a prize he's won, I realize something has fundamentally shifted. This isn't just about escaping anymore. This isn't just about running away to be with the man I love.

This is about reclaiming myself. About refusing to be owned, managed, or controlled any longer. About choosing my own path regardless of the consequences.

Gio thinks he has me trapped. He thinks his suspicions and his threats are enough to keep me in line. He doesn't know that every moment I spend performing for him now is just another nail in the coffin of his control over me.

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