“You knew I was lying this whole time?” I asked, completely astonished at this new revelation.
“Yes.” A simple word, one syllable, but it was enough to tilt my world upside down.
“But why? Why did you let me stay?”
“I was curious at first but then realized that I couldn’t let you go. It didn’t matter that you were lying to me anymore. Sometimes, I forget that you are even lying,” he explained quietly.
“But what if I had turned out to be the spy? Or the enemy?” I choked on the words, my throat closing up as I suddenly felt nauseous. “What would you have done?”
Alessio stared at me for a second, his bluish eyes penetrating into my soul. “I would have had to kill you.”
Bringing my hand to my mouth to stop the sudden cry, I buried my face into his chest again. “I’m not your enemy,” I whispered.
“I know,” he replied just as softly. His hands were caressing my arms, and I melted into his embrace.
“Why are you lying, Ayla? Is Ayla even your name?” Alessio asked suddenly.
“Yes, Ayla is my name. I didn’t lie about that.”
“Then why did you lie about your last name? What are you trying to hide?” He pushed for more. “Are you in danger? Is someone after you?”
I gave him a stiff nod. Just one simple nod, and then we fell silent. Alessio didn’t ask anything else. I knew he was waiting for me to reply.
“The man I am to be married to.”
I whispered them, and Alessio froze, his body tensing, his arms tightening around me like bands of steel. “What?” he asked, his voice calm and low, but I knew he was feeling anything but calm.
I knew when he spoke in this tone he was at his angriest.
“He wants me, Alessio. It doesn’t matter that I ran away; he will never rest until he finds me, dead or alive.” Taking a deep breath, I sniffled, trying to keep my tears at bay. “I’m his obsession, his prize possession, and he will not stop looking for me until I’m in his bed again.”
Alessio’s fingers dug into my hips, and I winced. “Who is he?”
I shook my head. “Ayla, who is he?” he asked, his voice deadly.
“No.”
“Damn it!” he growled. “Why are you protecting him?”
My head snapped up, and I shook my head wildly. “No! I’m protecting you! And me. He is a dangerous man, Alessio. A mad man.”
His eyes turned into slits. “More dangerous than me?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. I knew Alberto was obsessed with me, but to what extent he would go, I didn’t know.
“He is a dead man, Ayla,” he vowed. “Tell me his name.”
The fury in his eyes was unmistakable. But it wasn’t at me. It was for me. It was directed at the man who had hurt me.
I stayed quiet. I thought he would snap, but he didn’t. Instead, he leaned his forehead on mine. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“Because I want to stay alive. I want to live with you. And I don’t want to lose you.”
“Angel,” he murmured. “You are not going to lose me.”
“I might be lying about my name, about who I am, but that is the only thing I am lying about. What I feel for you is the truth,” I confessed, hoping that when the time came, he would remember those words.
“Will you ever tell me the truth?” Alessio questioned.
I wish I never have to tell you the truth, Alessio. For the truth will break you. And I can’t bear to break your heart. But I have to. One day, I will have to tell you. And that day might be the day I lose everything.
“I will. When I’m ready. Right now, I want to forget. I don’t want to live in the past.”
Understanding flashed in his eyes, and he sighed. “I will protect you, Angel.” There it was. Another vow.
I didn’t say anything else. Laying my head on his shoulder, I breathed out a sigh, letting my body relax in his embrace. Alessio laid us down on the bed and pulled the cover on top of our bodies. Not once did he let me go.
“I know I’m not supposed to touch you, but we both know we can’t sleep without each other. I will hold you tonight, and tomorrow, I will keep my promise,” Alessio said in my ear before placing a kiss there.
One of his arms was wrapped around my stomach, my back to his front. He held me tightly, cocooning me into his body. I placed my hand over his and closed my eyes. “I know you will keep your promise.”
“Sleep, Angel. I will watch over you.”
Holding his promise to my heart, I let sleep take over me. This time I was filled with peace. After all, I was in the arms of my savior.