Page 39 of The Freedom in Captivity

“Maybe I’m simply a bitch, Della. Ever think about that?”

With a slow shake of her head, her eagerness falters to sadness as she leans away. Obviously, she was hoping for more from this interaction and I gave her nothing.

“So that’s it?” she murmurs after a long moment of terse silence. “You’re going to continue being the villain. My question is, is doing so your father’s plan or yours?”

I can’t give an answer to that. Truth or lie, she’s so close to the facts, it’s terrifying to my self-control.

“Does it matter? It’s not getting me out of these chains one way or the other.”

She glances up to the pipe attached to the chains on the ceiling. “No, but you can end this. You’re prolonging your own torture, and that’s why I’m down here. Why I’m trying to make you realize, this can end. The moment I admitted the truth to Nico, he helped me. He’ll do the same for you. He recognizes loyalty, Rozelyn. Have some for us, and we can help.”

Loyalty doesn’t matter to me. Survival does.

“Do you really care for your father that much that you’d risk your life for him? If anything, it should be the other way around. That he’d be keeping you safe.”

Shouldbeing the key word in her final statement but Dad’s never done anything for his family. Not Mom, Yasmine, and me, anyway. Everything’s been forthem.

Della is correct on every single count, though. Only one fact she’s still missing.

Thankfully, the door opening at the top of the stairs ends this interaction. Within seconds, Nico rushes down the stairs and tugs Della back to his side, studying the distance between her and me, the spot she claimed she’d remain.

“Ten minutes is up.”

Della nods, glancing from her husband to me, wearing that sad expression again, before gesturing for Ariella to ascend the stairs first.

At the bottom of the stairs, Ariella peeks back at me. Her lips open and I find myself leaning closer, waiting intently for sound to come from the mute woman, but then her brows furrow, she shakes her head, and quickly escapes, almost running up the stairs.

Della watches her sister go before glancing at me a final time. “Goodbye, Rozelyn. I’m sorry for what this life has done to both of us. From here on out, you could change it.”

She leaves, and Nico follows behind her, not sparing me a glance.

I’m alone for a few minutes after they go, but my heart thumps to a new, chaotic beat.

Flynn

Ariella appears from the basement first. She throws a tight smile my way and disappears down the hallway, not that I expected her to say anything. I’ve never heard the woman’s voice, and I doubt I ever will. Quiet and shy—I can respect her desire for privacy, although I’m now wondering if there’s more to her. I’m not exactly privy to every detail of Nico’s private life, including that of his new sister-in-law.

The door opens shortly after, and Della and Nico appear. Della’s eyes are downcast, her mouth curved in a frown. Fuck Rozelyn for hurting her feelings.

Thisis what I needed. A reminder that Rozelyn De Falco isn’t a good person. She’s our enemy and continues to harm this family. The family I’ve vowed to protect.

When Nico shuts the door behind them, Della shakes her head once and tells me in a dejected tone, “Nothing. She’s hiding something. There’s a feeling in my gut that she’s not doing all this in loyalty to Stefano. Or maybe she is,” her frown deepens, doubt making her eyes shift to the far corner of the hallway, “because why else would she agree? There’s just…I don’t know. What asshole sends his own daughter into the enemy’s house?”

Nico rubs her back lightly and reminds, “He sent you.”

Once again, I hide a possible fact from my boss. What Della’s learned only reinforces where my own thoughts have been since last night. Where, in the depths of my head, memories resurfaced, which explains much of her behaviours back then—and some of her statements now.

If I’m right, it explains a lot. If I’m wrong, then I got Nico’s hopes up for nothing. So until I know for certain, I remain quiet.

Della walks away looking more dejected than I’ve ever seen, and while Nico stares after her, he doesn’t follow. When she turns a corner, he says, “My mother mentioned seeing you outside last night. Flynn, no disrespect if you can’t do this. If emotions are hindering your actions, I won’t fault you for that.”

This is the very reason I need her out of my head. She’s not only filling it and making me doubt myself; it’s also becoming obvious to the Corsettis.

“I’m fine.” I step by him and open the door to the basement again to end this conversation. “Last night, I needed the reminder of who really matters, and it’s not her.”

Before I can walk down the steps, he stops me with another question. “Is taking her to the bathroom in your room really the smartest idea, when there’s ones in the common areas?”

Licking at my suddenly parched lips, I realize I have no concrete response for him. Nothing that logically makes sense. Hell, even I don’t fully understand my own actions, but formulating some sort of half-assed response, I tell him, “It’s smaller. The one down here has a window I’d have to ensure she doesn’t escape from. Mine doesn’t.”

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