Page 53 of Violent Attraction

The second that the door clicks, Isabella releases a sob that shakes her body completely. Her face turns red with anger and she looks like she wants to strangle someone. Or she needs someone to hold her.

Yet, I don’t move.

Because I’m a very stupid man, but I don’t take my eyes off her. I watch her as she goes through whatever emotions that she needs to. What her father just told her is life changing and it’s a lot to digest. I don’t blame her for how she is currently feeling.

She finally calms down, and that’s when she meets my gaze.

Her brown eyes are red rimmed and filled with tears, her bottom lip is shaking and so are her shoulders.

I should move.

I should go to the woman that owns every single inch of me and hold her as tight as I possibly can. But I just stay rooted in place.

“Say something,” she whispers, the shakiness of her body radiating to her voice.

There is so much I want to say.

Things like I will talk to her father and try to stop this. I want to say that I’m not going to let her marry my father’s killer.

So many things want to leave my mouth.

But I don’t say any of it.

Because I need to come up with a plan. A plan that gets her out of this mess and protects her like I have been trying to do for most of my life.

So for the moment, I just sigh. “What’s there to say? Ronaldo wants you to marry another man. There’s not much I can say to not let it happen.”

My voice sounds hard and by the way Bella flinches, she heard it too.

“We can go to him. We can tell him that I won’t marry Emilio. Who I marry is my choice, not his. We can tell him that you want to propose and ask for his blessing. Maybe once we tell him that we’re together, he will stop this whole marriage thing.” She is determined and I couldn’t be any prouder of her.

But if anyone is going to go up against her father, it’s going to be me. I rather be the one to put a stop to whatever plan Ronaldo has, than let his daughter get hurt in the process.

If someone gets hurt, or dies, it will have to be me.

No way in hell am I going to let Isabella get involved in the crossfire.

And the way to keep her safe, is to let her believe that I don’t give a shit about this.

I shake my head, about to regret every little thing that comes out of my mouth, but I have to say it. It’s for her own good.

“It's done, Isabella. I had my chance, and now it’s gone.” Please know I don’t mean a word. “There is no changing Ronaldo’s mind. You’ll be marrying Emilio and that is that.”

I watch as more tears spring from her eyes. I’m hurting her with what I’m saying. I know I am, but they need to be said. I need to have her believe that whatever we had going on between us, is over now.

I blame her father for making me do this.

“What are you saying? That you are not going to fight this with me?” her voice breaks and my heart shatters with it. “You’re going to just sit there and watch as I marry another man?”

The real question that I’m asking myself is, can I watch her marry another man?

I don’t even think about it long, I know the answer.

I can’t.

And I fucking won’t.

I will try my damned fucking hardest to not let that wedding happened. I don’t care if I have to kill Emilio myself, it won’t happen.