Page 34 of House of Lies
He’s not angry. He’s just resigned.
“We can make this marriage work. But it will always be loveless and childless.”
“Am I foolish for hoping to change your mind one day?”
“Yes. So unless you want to go back to your old self and force me to have a child, it won’t ever happen.”
“I won’t do that.”
He could, but he chooses not to. I’m still powerless in this marriage—we both know it. He could lock me inside a room, take everything away from me again, and keep me there until I deliver what he wants.
“I made an appointment for my sister under my name. And I know that I have no right to ask this of you, but please don’t say anything to anyone. I’ll do whatever you want, but don’t mention anything to my father or Cosima’s husband.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I won’t tell, and Domenico won’t either. We should eat. I’ve made your favorite food, and it’s getting cold.”
He did, giving me another reason to add to the list of things that could have made me love him.
“You cooked?” I frown, wiping the remaining tears away.
“My skills are not limited to the bedroom,” he grins.
Almost is a heartbreaking word. We are almost all right. We almost made this marriage work. I almost ...
I almost fell in love with him tonight.
CHAPTER 22
Kaz
“He’s still alive, in case you’re wondering,” Vanya says.
“I wasn’t,” I reply, matching his somber tone.
I have given up on the idea of Mattia collaborating with me. My twin brother and I share nothing in common except for Alexei’s blood flowing through our veins. Did I hope for a different outcome? Perhaps. But the more I involve myself in his life, the more I realize how different we are. While our paths may have been similar, he values nothing. His sole purpose in life is to please Ermanno.
“He’s your brother, Kaz,” my cousin reminds me as if I could ever forget.
I’m not sure what he expects me to do with that reminder. He isn’t here to face the consequences of Mattia’s actions. He doesn’t know about the scars Caelia carries or the extensive work it takes to sabotage Ermanno’s shipments one by one. I have lost so many men for this revenge plan and question whether it’s worth it. My father would forgive me for having such thoughts.
“So what? Are you telling me that blood is more important than anything else?” I let out a bitter laugh.
“I’m telling you, he has valuable information we could use. If you were to return and talk some sense into him, perhaps things could be different.”
Talk some sense into him. Right. I could do that, but I would do it like he tried to talk some sense into Caelia—with my fists and my gun.
“I’m doing my part, Ivan. You might want to consider doing yours.”
I never agreed with Sevastyan when he suggested giving Mattia a chance to do the right thing. I despised this part of the plan from the very beginning. Yet, I went along with it. We kidnapped Mattia and revealed the truth to him. But he spat in my face, calling me a fucking liar when I told him that Ermanno Benedetti is not his father. Although Ermanno raised him as his own to secure an heir, their blood connection is nonexistent. I offered him an opportunity to do the right thing and help me avenge Alexei’s death, but he refused. I never truly believed he would accept. Sevastyan fails to grasp that, but I understand. Blood is not everything. I feel nothing toward Mattia or the woman who gave birth to me. He made the choice he believed was right from his perspective, but now he’s become a liability. Despite being chained in a basement somewhere in Russia, he is a wild card, especially now that he knows the truth and our plans. Sevastyan keeps him there, hoping he will have a change of heart.
He might be my blood, but after everything he did to Caelia, he’ll die by my hand, brother or not. I don’t have many close connections in this world. And the people I keep close to are those I’ve known my entire life. And I wouldn’t put my life in their hands either. It stands against everything my uncle taught me after my father’s death. It’s the way I’m wired. Trust is a scarce commodity for me, regardless of blood ties. Vanya is still on my blacklist. I don’t trust Caelia. At this moment, I don’t even trust Sevastyan. I’m a loyal man who will do anything for those I care about. I would take a bullet for them, but I don’t expect them to do the same thing for me, and it has served me well so far.
“When will you return?” Vanya asks.
“When I’m finished here. How is business going?” I inquire.
He updates me on everything I missed, although I’m not foolish enough to take his word for it. He made a mistake by withholding information about Caelia, thinking it was for my benefit. It may seem inconsequential to him, but I have begun questioning everything since his error.
Outside, the rain comes down in thick sheets, pelting against the windows in a cacophony of sounds. A distant thunder rumbles, shaking the room, and the power abruptly goes out, enveloping the office in darkness.