Page 57 of Cruel Heir

IfI speak with him,I remind myself. There are no guarantees.

But I’ve kept my promise. Now Lucia will have to keep hers.

—

It comes as no little surprise to me that Fontana agrees to meet.His stipulation is that the meeting take place at one of his estates—although he agrees to the terms of neutrality, that there will be no violence and no harm done to either party, and that I will be allowed to leave when the meeting is finished. Although I feel slightly uneasy at the idea of going to one of his estates, I also know that he is held to the rules of the meeting. Even as the head of the Family, Fontana still has to respect the traditions that we live by. The other dons would not stand for it if he did otherwise.

Even Fontana would be helpless in the face of a full-scale revolt. Even he needs allies.

As soon as Antonio informs me, my first thought is to tell Lucia. I realize, as I imagine her reaction, that the possibility of her happiness sparks my own.

It’s been a very long time since I felt truly happy. Satisfaction, pleasure, victory—I’ve felt all of those things recently. And I felt something close to happiness that night I arranged the date for Lucia, when she let down her walls with me ever so slightly. When we both got a brief taste of what it might be like if we were justus.

I walk upstairs to her bedroom, and for once, I knock. I hear her voice on the other side, hesitantly inviting me to come in, and I push the door open.

Lucia is sitting in a chair by the window, reading a book. She looks up, clearly startled when she sees me. “Youknocked,” she says slowly, as if it’s difficult to believe, and I struggle to keep the smirk off of my face. Even now, I still enjoy catching her off-guard.

“I can learn new habits.” I step inside of the room, closing the door behind me. I can feel the tension in her. Last night, she didn’t want me in bed. I could feel it, unlike her eagerness when she seduced me in the dining room.

And last night, I chose to stop, rather than manipulating her body in all the ways I know I can, overcoming her objections. After having a taste of herwantingme of her own volition, after that morning, nothing else can compare. But I can see the wary look in her eyes, wondering if I’ve decided that this morning will be different.

I know why she was hesitant last night. Every day that she goeswithout the pills, the likelihood that she might get pregnant is higher. And so far as I know, her insistence that she refuses to have a child with me hasn’t changed. Not until I’ve come to terms with her father.

It’s difficult to be near her and not touch her. It’s impossible to be near her and not want her. But I keep my distance, taking a slow breath as I look at my wife.

“The meeting is set,” I tell her calmly. “Tomorrow. You will come with me, as we agreed. And you will comehomewith me, as you promised. Yes?”

“I promised.” Lucia looks at me evenly, but I can see her throat contract as she swallows hard, her hands tightening on the book in her lap. “I meant it.”

Does she look like that because she hopes that things will be different when we return home? Or because she dreads coming back with me?I hope it’s the former. But I had also hoped to see elation when I told her the news, and she looks almost emotionless. I feel a flood of disappointment.

“I thought you would be happier.” I look at her curiously. “The meeting—”

“Hasn’t happened yet.” Lucia wraps her arms around her waist, as if she’s cold. “I’m grateful you kept your promise,” she says finally. “I’ll keep mine.”

I hadn’t realized just how much her happiness had begun to matter to me—or how much her misery had begun to sink claws into me, pulling and tearing at my heart with every new manifestation.What if the only way to make her happy is to let her go?

Everything in me rebels at the thought. But it also brings with it a new, harder truth to swallow.

It’s no longer because she’s the means for my revenge.

It’s because I simply can’t bear the thought of being without her any longer.

—

Lucia comes downstairs the next morning, wearing a slim blackskirt and a soft-looking, deep red wool sweater. I feel a flash of pleasure at the sight of the ruby earrings I bought her at her ears, the ones I’d given her just before the date I arranged. The rose gold bracelet is on her wrist as well, and I reach for it as she slides into the car next to me, rubbing my thumb over the slender piece of jewelry.

“I should buy you more beautiful things,” I murmur. “You should have more than just these few pieces.”

Lucia says nothing. She sits stiffly next to me, and I have the sudden urge to pull her into my lap, to kiss her until the color on her lips is gone and her cheeks are full of it. But I force myself to resist, even as my cock twitches at the thought. I fucked her every day—sometimes more—for the first two months she was here. Now, I haven’t touched her in nearly three days, and my bodyachesfrom it. It feels as if my desire has gone beyond want, into a visceralneed.

I never realized just how much she drives me mad until I tried to restrain myself with her.

She sits silently as the car weaves down the roads towards her father’s estate. I see a curious look on her face as she gazes out the window, and it sparks my own.

“You’re looking at this place as if you haven’t seen it before.”

“I haven’t,” Lucia says flatly, still looking out of the window.

---