Page 1 of Don't Break My Heart
Chapter 1
FuckingMorettis.Ishouldhave known the second I locked eyes with Romeo that pursuing anything with him was a bad idea. I have hated the Morettis for as long as I can remember, and this… this fucked-up situation I now find myself in is why. Corruption, manipulation, misogyny just off the top of the list. I grew up a strong woman in a male-dominated world. My brothers knew I would need an arsenal of tools to survive, but instead of giving me what I needed, they sheltered me from any dangers, protected me, with a bodyguard at my side at all times. And now there is nothing any of us can do to stop what Emilio has started. The whole world knows who I really am.
With my heart hammering like mad and my stomach in my throat, I march off his stupid fancy yacht and back onto the jetty. I can feel Orlando shadowing me, the sound of his expensive leather shoes trailing me in a way that makes me feel even more trapped than I already know I am. I have been married to him all along. His possession, or so he thinks. I don’t know what the fuck I’m about to do, but I need to move, need to get the crazy thoughts pulsing through my head out of it and find a way to survive this new life sentence I have been handed.
The other boys are gone from where they were talking on the jetty while Emilio dictated my life, and when I make it to the front door of the house, I see why. All their bags are packed and stacked at the door, ready to go.
My stomach drops, a finality to their packed bags I can’t handle. I can’t get on a fucking plane and travel to Italy. I just can’t.
Sucking in a shaky breath, I keep striding past, heading into Orlando’s bedroom. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I make it to his walk-in closet, and the clothes flash by in a blur as my head spins. I grip the shelf in front of me before I go down. Deep breaths, Sloane, you can do this even if it feels like you can’t.
I stare at the designer clothes, shoes, and accessories all stacked neatly in front of me. How the fuck do I pack for this when all I want to do is raid that fucking weapons room and blow up Emilio’s fucking boat with him on it. Maybe that’s Orlando’s plan, maybe he’s come back here with me to do exactly that.
Orlando’s hand comes to my back, warm and comforting when it shouldn’t be. I force my eyes to close so the tears threatening don’t escape. “We can do this together.” His voice comes over me like a blanket, all warm and comforting. But I already know we can’t. He’s not the man I fell for, if he’s going to force me to leave the country with him.
“Don’t touch me,” I snap back, my words bitter and bitchy as hell. I still have it in there, some strength. With a deep breath, I raise my head and turn back toward him with more determination, my eyes filled with daggers just for him.
He takes a shaky step back. “Treasure…” He trails off when I shake my head. I don’t want to hear his fucking excuses. What is there to say? It’s too late for sorry when my life is over. He takes another step back from me, a hurt flashing in his eyes I can’t stand. But it’s for the best.
These men have made me weak, and now look at me, being controlled, married off, and shipped to another fucking country. I’m fucking smarter than this, and I won’t let any of them pull me under their spell anymore. It doesn’t matter howattracted to them I am or what promises they make to me. I’m going to survive this because of me, not any of them.
“I’ll leave a suitcase for you on the bed,” he mutters, bitterness in his tone as he dumps a large suitcase on the bed and stalks back for the open door. But what the hell, did he expect me to skip happily off to Italy with him and be his fucking wife?
He should know me better.
I sniffle back the tears that are trying to escape; it’s too late for that. Crying won’t help me now. I can’t afford to remember what we had in our short time together. Maybe it felt real, but it was clearly a lie.
Fixing my gaze on the clothes before me. I grab a handful and rip them off their hangers. Striding back into the room, I shove them in the open suitcase. It’s then a see the little sapphire-blue velvet box sitting on the bed with a red long-stem rose beside it. My heart flutters, all breath sucked from my lungs. My knees buckle, and I grip the bed for support. I can’t be married to him. I can’t walk out of here and face the world as Ava Kingsley, wearing his ring.
I stare back at the box, and it glares at me, telling me I have no choice. With shaky hands, I collect it up and open it. The dazzling diamond stares back at me, mocking me as red-hot fire burns through my insides. No one owns me! I’m no one’s fucking wife. I throw the box back on the bed, feeling like the velvet singed my fingers. Sucking in ragged breaths, I try to get my fury under control.
“He was trying to protect you,” comes Romeo’s voice from the doorway.
I flick my angry eyes over to him, rage coursing through my body in a way I have never felt before. I feel lied to, betrayed, and crushed. I have nothing to say to him either. He fucking let this happen just as much as his brother. Stood by while his twin nearly strangled the life out of me, knowing all too well his papa was about to ruin my life.
When I don’t say anything, Romeo moves into the room and comes to sit on the end of the bed with a heavy sigh, like even sitting causes him pain. I wince when I see how bad the bruising is up close. He’s hurt so badly. “We didn’t know what we were walking into, doll face.” He reaches for my hand, but I can’t give it to him and flinch away.
“What happened to you?” I mutter, looking him over. His lip is busted and the whole left side of his face is a deep shade of purple. From the way he sits and his shallow breathing, I can tell his ribs are also damaged.
“We didn’t make it to Italy. Emilio, Syd, and their goons were waiting for us back in Ravens Hollow.”
An ache radiates through my chest, suffocating and all-consuming. I don’t want it to, don’t want to care about the pain he’s clearly in, but I can’t help it. When I look into his dark eyes I see my Romeo, the man I fell for, not the son of that motherfucker out there. “Y…you have been gone for a week,” I stutter out, not sure what it means but knowing it can’t be good.
“We fought for you every fucking day, Sloane.” His voice cracks, and my heart breaks for him. Fought for me every day? I don’t think I can handle the reality of what that means.
Warm tears roll down my cheeks; I can’t stop them. I don’t want to care, but a stupid broken part deep down inside of me does. I love this man and seeing him in so much pain, kills me. I take his hand in mine, our fingers lacing together. “Your own papa did this to you?” I whisper, looking him over again.
His head drops, and he stares at the carpet as if he’s embarrassed. “His guards. It’s what happens when you betray him, in his eyes anyway. He made sure to keep us alive… just. So we could come and get you.”
My hand laces into his shirt, and I pull it up to see the damage he’s hiding. I flinch away from him when I see how bad it is, covering my mouth in shock. He’s covered in bruises, dark purple and black all over his torso. “Oh, dear God. He’s not going…” He presses his finger to my lips, stopping me from saying how badly I want to destroy his papa.
Romeo shakes his head. “Keep that shit in your head from now on, doll face. He’s not going to kill you, because for now he needs you, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make your life a living hell. And trust me, he has the power to do whatever the fuck he wants.”
I stare back at him, adrenaline surging through me that makes me feel crazy, makes me want to fight even though I know there is no chance at winning. “I can’t do this. I’m no man’s wife, Romeo, you know me better than this.”
His eyes lock with mine, cupping my face with his hand so tenderly it hurts my chest even more. “Where is that fire you had for me when I was trying to take over your club?”
I drop my head away from his gaze. I can’t look into his eyes, not now when it hurts so terribly. “Gone… I have nothing left,” I whisper, hating myself for admitting it out loud. I want to be strong, want to fight them, but every ounce of my control has been stripped away. They have taken so much from me, what can I even fight with?
