Page 35 of The Villain's Beloved (The Villain's Duet 2)

He let go of my waist and stepped in next to me, sweeping his gaze across the crowds, consisting primarily of young couples throwing coins into the fountain. “It’s believed that if you throw in one coin, you will return to Rome.” He handed me one coin. “Throw in two coins, and you will fall in love with an Italian.” He grinned then held out the second coin. “Throw in a third coin, and you will marry the person you fell in love with.” He placed the third coin in my palm.

God, the torment was unbearable. I loved this man with all my heart, and whenever he showed me this side of him, romance seeping through his words, it reminded me how utterly ruined I was in love, and how deeply I had fallen for him.

“Now, you need to turn around and toss the coins over your left shoulder with your right hand.”

“Okay.” I smiled, and as I turned, Milana and Saint came walking toward us, and I instinctively held my breath when Saint met my gaze, a knowing look passing between us.

“Wait for me.” Milana held up her coin before stepping in next to me.

“You only have one?”

She glanced at Saint. “I only need one.”

It was insane how in love these two were. They were both besotted, and quite frankly, if I had met them a few months back, I’d have been nauseated by it.

I closed my eyes and rubbed the coin between my fingertips. A silent prayer filled my thoughts as I held my breath, my heart beating impossibly fast.

Please, God, help me survive this man.

Milana and I tossed our coins at the same time. The noise of the fountain drowned out the sound of our coins that plunked into the water. I wanted to come back here to Rome. I wanted to visit the Colosseum and be reminded of how Elijah and I got married there. How we consummated our marriage against its stone walls. My heart yearned to have those memories without dark lies to taint it.

I closed my hand around the other two coins, clenching my jaw as I bit back the tears.

Elijah cocked a brow, the winter breeze ruffling through his black hair. “You have two more coins.”

“No.” I held it out to him. “I only need to throw one.”

Our gazes locked, his eyes showing me the soul of a man who loved deeply—a sullen contradiction to the lies he had told.

Elijah reached out, wrapped his fingers around the back of my neck, and pulled me closer, placing a tender kiss on my forehead. It took every ounce of strength I had not to cry. Tears stung my eyes as the lies poisoned my soul. The last time I was this broken was the day my mom died. It was the first time I lost someone so important to me—and today, I was afraid I’d lose another.

“Elijah,” Mila interrupted. “Saint tells me that no one knows the history of the Trevi Fountain better than you do.” She placed a hand on his elbow. “Since my husband and I clearly don’t share the same love for ancient architecture, I was hoping you could tell me a bit more.”

To me, it was obvious what she was doing—especially when she glanced back at Saint as if she acknowledged that she was doing what he expected. Distracting my husband to give Saint and me some privacy so I could fall deeper into the despair of deception.

Saint stepped in front of me, the collar of his black winter coat turned up to ward off the cold. “How are you holding up?”

“I’d say that’s a shitty question.”

He glanced up at the gray sky, avoiding eye contact.

“You dropped a bomb on me last night, Saint. And then you expected me to keep quiet.”

“I couldn’t risk Elijah knowing.”

“Knowing what?”

Saint shifted and glanced around us. “First, I need to know exactly what Elijah told you.”

“About what?”

“About everything. Every fucking little thing, I need to know.”

I slipped my hands into the pockets of my beige trench coat, pulling my shoulders upward. “I don’t even know you. How do I know this isn’t all bullshit?”

“Do you know him?” Saint stepped closer—a dominating force that caused me to inch back. “Do you really know Elijah?”

I scoffed. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to shout from the fucking rooftops that I knew Elijah better than anyone else. That he had shown me a side to him that no one had ever seen. But the truth was, I couldn’t. I couldn’t say without a doubt that the Elijah I knew was true. “Fine.” I conceded. “When Elijah first took me—”

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