Page 55 of Vow to Corrupt You
I look at her over the edge of my laptop screen.
“Thank you,” she whispers, forcing a tight-lipped smile.
She glances at me for a few more seconds as if waiting for something, but after she realizes I have nothing else to say, she leaves.
I drink my whiskey in one go, but its burn in my throat does nothing to quiet the chaos of my mind. I hate it when it happens. No physical torture or pain could compare to the torment a human mind can cause. It’s fucking insufferable. Another drink of the brown liquor goes down my throat. Numb. All I want to be is numb.
“Yes, boss?” Remo’s voice rings on the other end of the line.
“My wife left to meet her brother. Bring the IT dude. I want to hear them.”
Remo knows better than to question any of my orders. He simply does what he’s told.
A few minutes later, Thiago, the IT guy, opens the app on my laptop that links to Serena’s app he has planted in her phone. The screen illuminates with a live feed, showing audio waves pulsing in real-time. I hear her conversation with her sisters—nothing unusual, nothing that would raise my concerns. Eventually, she’s alone with Salvatore, and I signal my men to leave my office. Their conversation is also like any other siblings would share until Salvatore says what I expected him to say.
“You can stop pretending now, Serena. It’s just you and me, and I am your twin. I know how you feel like.” Salvatore’s voice sounds in sync with the audio visualizer. “Even if it’s the last thing I do, I will set you free from this monster you were forced to marry, sister.”
My hand clenches into a fist.
“No, Salvatore, you can’t. Please, I beg of you. Don’t put yourself in danger again. Don’t risk your life. Our lives. We both know anything directed against Nikolaos Romano is a death sentence, and this time, not just for you, but for all of us. And believe me, he’s far more influential than any of us thought. There’s nowhere we could escape his wrath.”
“I can’t! I can’t live with the thought you’re his prisoner because of me!”
“Salvatore, I’m okay! I have come to terms with my fate. Why can’t you?”
“Just answer me this,” he pauses momentarily, breathing heavily. “If you had a choice, would you have married him?”
“Well,” she wavers.
“Just don’t lie to me, Serena. Be honest. If you had a choice, would you still have married that monster?”
“I wouldn’t have married that monster...”
I shut the laptop closed, squeezing the bridge of my nose. I have given her everything any other man wouldn’t. Time. Patience. Respect. I was the fucking embodiment of Prince Charming. But I am fucking not. Far from it. I am still a monster. A beast she obviously wants nothing to do with.
CHAPTER 29
Serena
I don’t understand why Nikos left me like this, refusing to look at me. The dark expression that painted his face as he touched me, the disgust filling his eyes, the fury, even fear… What happened in his past that something as simple as the mere touch of skin triggered such emotions within him?
I can’t calm my nerves, the running thoughts. I don’t know what to do with myself, so I need to leave. I quickly shower to freshen up and slip into another one of my black dresses. Valentino or Versace, I don’t even pay attention anymore.
I go to Nikos’s office, where he has locked himself for the past few hours. My excuse is to ask his permission to see Salvatore, but to be honest, I just want to see him and check on him.
He’s so cold and distant. It’s not the same man I had sex with. He’s back to his dark self that I was forced to marry. And here I was, believing we actually made progress.
The entire ride to my parents’ house is spent in the memories of his touch against my skin. The intimate moments we shared, the bond I thought we were starting to create, all shattered like a thin layer of ice under pressure.
I enter my house, which, after weeks spent at Romano’s residence, feels so tiny. I greet my stepmother and sisters, and we talk over coffee. My Papà is absent, which is not unusual. Eventually, I go to Salvatore’s room, unsure whether he will even let me in. He’s avoiding me. Despite Gianna asking him to join us, he didn’t even come out to say ‘hi’ when I arrived.
“May I come in?” I ask from the doorway.
He removes his earphones and casts a faint smile at me. “Sure.”
“Well, I thought you were avoiding me, Salvatore.” I close the door behind me, my arms crossing.
“It’s not like that, Serena.”
