Of all the questions he had, that was the one he demanded an answer for. Why now? Why did I decide to return now?
Because I need to ruin you.
Another tear moved from my cheek, lapping over my top lip. “We do not decide our own fate, Dante.”
“Bullshit!” He slammed his fist into the wall right next to my face, and I yelped, my entire body numb with fright. “Why the fuck are you back, Layla?”
I closed my eyes, turning my face away from his. Slowly, painfully, reality started to seep back into the moment. My desire for this man still pulsed through my veins, but the mind-numbing craving crept in as well, reminding me of what was at stake.
I bit my lower lip, my determination the only thing that would save me from this moment.
I turned back to face him, my gaze etched on his. “I’m here with him.”
His eyes searched my face for a second before a smile crept up at the corners of his lips. “Like hell, you are.”
“You asked, and I gave you an answer.” The more I played the part, the easier it became. Not to mention that my veins were starting to scream for relief.
Dante took a step back, releasing my hands. For the first time since he locked us in here, it felt like I could take a breath.
I rubbed my hand around my wrist where his grip marked my skin.
He kept his gaze pinned on me. “It was you, wasn’t it? It was your voice I heard over the phone. Why did you call me, only to hang up?”
I remained silent. Those phone calls were nothing more than moments of weakness.
He exhaled with a huff. “Fine. Don’t answer me. But you expect me to believe you came back so you could be with Matteo?”
“I don’t expect you to believe anything. You can do what you want.” I straightened my dress and squared my shoulders as I stepped away from the wall.
He didn’t move back an inch. He just stood there towering over me. “Fine. Let’s say I believe you—which I don’t. You need to stay the fuck away from Matteo.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s dangerous. You don’t know him, what he and his family are capable of.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Funny you should say that since I never knew you at all either. Or whatyourfamily is capable of.”
For a second, his confidence faltered when he realized what I was saying.
I smiled. “That’s right. I know who you are, Dante. Who you really are. And I also know what it means to be a Valenti in this city.”
His eyebrows slanted inward, anger forming grooves on his forehead. “You know nothing.”
“I know you lied to me. Pretended to be someone you’re not.”
“He filled your head with lies.”
“No. In fact, he didn’t tell me anything I hadn’t already known. I knew about your lies before I left.”
He took an intimidating step forward, dark eyes glaring down at me. “I lied because I was protecting you.”
“From what? You?”
He looked away, his jaw tense and eyes angry.
I needed to continue. I needed to keep using my pain if I wanted to pull this off. I stepped forward. “That’s why I left, why I decided against having a life with you. Because it all would have been a lie.”
“No!”