“I need to know, Marco, please?” My plea doesn’t fall on deaf ears. He’s toying with me, and I don’t like it. Sadly, there’s not much I can do because he holds my life in his hands.
“Well,” he says, sighing before he continues, “I’m a man of means, Elisabet, you know this.” He falls silent, but I wait. There has to be more to it than that. “I did it to keep your father off my back. We both agreed not to marry, and to be honest, showing him I have more power than he does made me feel good.”
“That makes no sense. He wouldn’t force you to do anything,” I tell him, and it’s true because even though my father is a rigid man when it comes to rules, he’s been known to be lenient when need be.
“Of course he wouldn’t, because if he did, I would kill him.” The nonchalant way Marco says that makes every hair on the back of my neck stand on end. “You have a beautiful apartment,” he tells me then.
“What?”
“Did your new man give you this?” A question that sets my feet in motion. I’m in my car within seconds. The engine purrs to life, and I’m on my way to the building before I have time to think. Being alone with Marco may not be a good idea, but I need to see him, to ask him to leave me alone. Maybe I can bargain with him.
“No. I bought it.”
“With my money,” he finishes my sentence quickly, causing me to wince. I don’t reply because he knows I did. There’s no point in denying it. I should never have trusted him in the first place. But like they say, better the devil you know.
“Please, don’t do this,” I plead, hoping he’ll stay on the line until I can get home. If I can just talk to him, keep him calm, I can sort this out. “Why can’t you just annul the marriage? It’s fake anyway.”
“Is this because you have your new man?” He laughs out loud. The sound isn’t filled with any humor, and I can’t help but cringe. Marco is dangerous when he’s angry, and when he’s jealous, it’s even worse.
“Yes.” I can’t lie to him because that will only add fuel to the fire. There’s no need to deny my relationship with Rome because even though Rome sent me out of his office, he didn’t tell me it’s over. I still have time to make this right. I know it.
“And you love this man?” Marco’s question comes out of the blue and hits me right in the chest. I can’t say I love Rome, not yet. It’s too soon. But I definitely care for him, and who knows? Maybe down the line, we will fall in love.
“I don’t know,” I finally answer. “I mean, it’s early. I can’t tell him I love him after such a short time.”
“Mm,” he murmurs. “Interesting.” I hear the creak of leather, and I breathe a sigh of relief. He’s probably sitting on the couch, which means I’ll get to my apartment, and he’ll still be there. I’m not far away when I hear him again. “I would like to meet him.”
“No.”
A boisterous chuckle comes through the line. “No? Did you just refuse me, Elisabet?” I can hear the shock lacing his words. In the next moment, I’m pulling into the parking lot and exiting the vehicle seconds later. By the time I reach the elevator, I know he can hear the sounds over the phone, but he doesn’t say a word.
“I just don’t want you to cause any more drama than this certificate has already done.” My hands are shaking once more, and my stomach is in knots. The twisting of anxiety and fear have overridden all rational thought when the doors slide open, and I’m met with the man who I’m apparently married to.
“Welcome home,” he says with a smile.
I step inside, pushing by him in a huff. Frustration has a hold of me, and I’m tired of Marco running my life. Yes, he gave me the money to be here, but it was a loan. He lends money all the time. All I am is a client, and I doubt he shows up in client’s homes like this. “Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see how my investment is going.”
“I’m not an investment,” I bite out as I set my purse down and turn to regard him. There’s a coy smile on his face, and I can’t stop the eye roll I give him. “Just tell me why there’s a marriage certificate with our names on it, Marco?”
He shrugs, moving toward the living room. He stops at the windows, his gaze locked on the city below us. I don’t go to him because he wants me to. He does that, taunting people until they crack. But I’m done breaking for men who attempt to rule my life.