Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
My wife. My Nora.
“Mine.”
Chapter 11
Nora
“Nora!” My sister’s arms closed around me, and the fear that’d plagued me since Luca had left my side melted away.
“I’ve missed you,” I confessed, allowing some of my vulnerability to spill out now that I was safely with Giana. I would be strong for her—I didn’t want her to worry about me—but I couldn’t help returning her hug with a fierce embrace.
She stepped back so that she could study my face. “How are you, really? I can’t believe Father wouldn’t let me come to your reception. I’ve been dying to see you.”
I squeezed her hands in both of mine. “Me too.” At least Luca had provided me with my own phone, so I’d been able to talk to Giana every day since I’d been forced into this marriage. Still, nothing compared to being in her presence, to see that she was safe and whole.
Giana’s chocolate brown eyes were wide on mine. “I heard Luca talking to Father before he left. Did Dante really send men after you yesterday? Are you hurt at all?”
I tensed. I hadn’t intended to tell my sister about the kidnapping attempt that’d taken place in our own home. It was why Luca had brought me here, to my father’s house. While my husband was out consolidating power and reaffirming alliances against Dante, he wanted me to be somewhere nearby but well-guarded. His estate had been breached, so he didn’t want to leave me there while he was in the city. My family home was the closest option, and Luca had secured my father’s loyalty through our marriage.
“I’m okay,” I promised Giana before she could spiral deeper into anxiety. “Luca protected me.”
Giana kept one of my hands in hers as she sank down onto the couch in our sitting room, and I settled in beside her. We didn’t break contact; I needed to feel her comforting presence as much as she needed to reassure herself that I was safe and whole. My kidnapping by Luca had been traumatic for her, and worry for my wellbeing had been consuming her.
Her fingernails were too short beneath my soothing touch; they were ragged from where she’d been biting them, a nervous habit she’d kicked years ago.
“Giana,” I sighed her name, hating that I was the cause of her distress. “I really am okay.”
“But that brute kidnapped you. He forced you to marry him. He’s a monster, Nora.”
I pressed my lips together, considering. Yes, I’d called Luca a monster when he’d first taken me. I’d hated him for ripping away my future and—even worse—for humiliating me with dark pleasure.
I thought of how he’d handled me so roughly in the dance studio yesterday, after he’d killed the men who’d threatened me. My body was still sore from the savage encounter, but my blood heated to think about it. My new husband was fierce and possessive, but he’d protected me. I’d witnessed shocking violence before, but it was the first time someone had held me afterward. He’d bled for me; he’d been grazed by a bullet while fighting our enemies.
He’d saved me from Alberto’s sick lust, too. And when he’d held me after our reception, he’d told me about his mother’s tragic death. He’d made himself vulnerable with me, just for a few minutes.
“He says he wants me to be happy,” I admitted.
Giana’s brows drew together. “He’s essentially holding you hostage to ensure Father’s support. How can he possibly expect you to be happy when he’s using you like a pawn?”
I shook my head. “I think he means it. Not because he truly cares about me,” I explained, “but because he doesn’t want to live his life in a miserable marriage.”
I wasn’t foolish enough to think that Luca cared about my happiness in an altruistic sense. But that didn’t mean his tenderness and consideration hadn’t softened something in me. I didn’t want to be miserable either.
“He built a dance studio for me,” I said, my heart lifting at the memory. I’d been so nervous when he’d blindfolded me, but he’d made the entire experience thrilling and special.
“Really?” Giana’s jaw dropped, and she quickly snapped it closed. “He asked me to send over your dance outfits, but he didn’t say anything else. Well, he didn’t exactly ask. He commanded me to send them.” She frowned. “He’s not good enough for you, Nora.”
I gave her a wry smile. “You would say that about anyone who wanted to marry me.”
Her eyes tightened. “I’m serious. I hate this. You shouldn’t be in this position. Dante was supposed to marry me. You aren’t supposed to be the one who’s forced into a marriage with your kidnapper.”
I straightened my spine and fixed her with a steady stare. “That was my choice, Giana. I offered myself to Dante, and I declared myself to Luca when he came to claim his enemy’s fiancée. It’s too late to take it all back. And besides,” I reasoned, “Luca doesn’t treat me badly. He says Dante is a sadist. You saw what Dante did to Giorgio when Father arranged the engagement. He’s erratic and violent. He scares me far more than Luca does. I didn’t want to marry either of them, but Luca saved me from that fate. And he’s determined to protect me from Dante now.”