I need to do something, change my tactics, so I can stop this. I need to stop this before all is lost. Before my Dove is tainted by Matteo even more.
She is not only pulling away from me mentally but physically as well. Yesterday she spent most of the day in Matteo’s personal library, preferring to read a book than spend time with me. This morning after breakfast, she disappeared into the library yet again.
Tired of waiting around for her, I leave the room and head toward the library. Every guard I pass looks up at me, their watchful eyes examine me and my mood.
When I enter the grand room, filled from top to bottom with books, I find Dove curled up on a chair by the window. A book laying on her lap. Her head snaps up when she notices me walking in. I’m surprised to find her eyes puffy and red like she’s been crying.
“What’s wrong?” I shoot the two guards posted at the door, an accusing glare. They better not have touched her. “Did someone hurt you?”
“No, come sit.” She sniffs. “I need to talk to you.”
Hesitantly, I take the seat across from her. I know whatever she is about to tell me is not going to be good. I mentally prepare myself to hear what she has to say, but the truth is, nothing could have prepared me for what she says.
“You need to leave, Zane.” A semi-truck could have hit me, and I would feel less wounded. “You can’t stay here any longer. This…” She motions between us. “Whatever this is, it’s not working. We need to end this now before it gets any further.”
“Any further?” There is no further. We are already at the end. I’ve loved her for years, and she loves me back. “We are meant to be together.”
“No, we are not. I’m meant to be here. I’m meant to carry on the Castro name, and you don’t fit in here, at all.” I know she is playing. She doesn’t mean this, she can’t mean this, but hearing the words come out of her mouth, regardless of their truthfulness, hurts like hell.
“Just stop, Dove! I can’t listen to this shit. You and I both know that’s not true,” I growl. “Drop the act, I don’t care who is in the fucking room. Just stop!”
“This isn’t an act. I want you to leave, Zane. I need to do this. I need to marry Alberto, and you need to go your own way.”
I want to cover my ears with my hands, so I don’t have to listen to this or cover her mouth so she can’t get another word out. Either way, I can’t listen to this any longer.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I growl, ready to destroy something. Getting up from my seat, I start pacing around. “And I’m not letting you marry some fuckhead just because some guy tells you to.”
Twisting to fully face me, the words that come out of her mouth next cut me straight to the core. “I don’t want you, Zane. I don’t want to be with you, and the more you push me to do something I don’t want to do, the more I’ll push back. I want you to leave and not come back. I want you to forget about me and move on. I don’t want to be with you. I’m not in love with you.” Her expression is skewed, but her eyes tell me she is lying.
“You’re lying, you love me. I’ve protected you your whole life. You need me just as much as I need you.”
“I never asked you for any of that. I didn’t even know you were there most of that time!” I turn away from her, but she gets up from her seat and gets in front of me, so I have to look at her face. “Maybe I needed you before, but that’s because I thought you were all I had. I thought all my family was dead, but my father is alive, and he loves me. I don’t need you anymore.”
“Shut up,” I yell, stepping closer. Close enough to where she has to lift her head to look into my face.
“Just go, Zane. Don’t make this even harder than it already is. Just go…”
“I will never leave you. Never!” I grab her upper arm and hold her in front of me. I want to shake some sense into her. I want to make her understand, see how wrong this is.
“Let go of me,” Dove demands, her voice on edge, but that only makes me hold onto her tighter. I feel like if I don’t, she might disappear forever, slip away, and never return to me.
“Take your hand off of her,” one of the guards growls.
Turning to him, I snap, “She is mine, I touch her wherever and however I want.”