Page 113 of Ruined By Protection
"Don't lie to me, Matteo." My voice is firm despite the trembling in my hands. "What were they going to do?"
"They were going to hurt your father," he says reluctantly. "Make it look like a home invasion."
The room spins slightly. I set down the coffee cup before I drop it.
"Where are my parents now?"
"At a hotel, under protection. Javier's men told them there was a gas leak in the neighborhood. They don't know what really happened."
I close my eyes, trying to process this. Elliott is targeting my family, just like he threatened. He's not bluffing.
"We caught them, Hazel." Matteo's voice is sure, grounding. "Your family is safe. We're watching them around the clock."
CHAPTER 35
Matteo
Iwatch Hazel's face carefully as she processes what I've told her. The color has drained from her cheeks, her fingers trembling as she sets down her coffee cup. Every protective instinct in me wants to shield her from this but I know she needs the truth.
"There's something else we need to discuss," I say, keeping my voice steady. "Something you're not going to like."
Her eyes meet mine, wary but resolute. "What is it?"
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for her reaction. "You need to talk to Elliott."
"What?" The word comes out as a gasp. She pulls back, clutching the sheet tighter around herself. "You can't be serious."
"I am." I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "He's escalating, Hazel. Going after your family directly. We need to defuse the situation."
"By sending me back to him?" Her voice rises, eyes flashing with fear and anger. "After everything?—"
"No." I cut her off firmly. "Never. But you need to make him believe you might."
She shakes her head, confusion replacing anger. "I don't understand."
"You need to contact him. Convince him you just needed some time away, that you're considering coming back to him."
Her face pales even further. "You want me to pretend I love him?"
"Yes." The word tastes like a drop of pure acid. "If he believes you're coming back, he'll back off from your family. He'll do whatever you ask if he thinks you just needed some time."
Hazel's breathing quickens. "I can't... I don't think I can do that. Not after everything he's done."
I move from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed. "I know it's hard. But it buys us time. It keeps your family safe while we handle things."
"How am I supposed to do this?" Her voice is barely above a whisper. "How can I make him believe me? No, no I can’t bear to be within a thousand yards of that man."
"And you won’t be. You’ll communicate by text," I say firmly. "I won't risk you being physically near him."
She looks up at me, her eyes swimming with tears. "You really think this will work?"
"Elliott's ego is his weakness. He believes he owns you, that you belong to him. If you play into that, make him think you're having second thoughts about leaving..." I pause, hating every word. "He'll believe what he wants to believe."
Hazel's gaze drops to her hands. They've stopped trembling now, her fingers laced together so tightly the blood is cutting off.
"What do I even say to him?" she asks.
"That you've been thinking about everything. That you miss certain things about your life with him." Each suggestion makesme want to heave. "We'll craft the messages carefully. Make them vague but believable."
