Chapter 71 Lines Drawn
Amelia
Alex started the car and asked. "So. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why do you really want to learn this? I know you said, "Self-defence." But—there's more to it, isn't there?"
I hesitated. "I'm tired of being helpless. I'm tired of relying on others for protection. I want—I want to be able to protect myself. I want to avoid becoming a burden on others.
"You're not a burden, Amelia."
"Everyone treats me like one. Because I'm blind. Because I'm vulnerable. I need protection. "I want to be strong. Independent. I want to be someone who doesn't require saving.
"You're already strong. You just need to believe it." He paused. "In my opinion, Jeremy Santoro is foolish if he fails to recognise your strength."
My chest tightened. "He sees it. "I think," I said, defending Jeremy.
"Does he? Or does he just see someone he needs to protect? Someone he can control?"
"It's not like that," I repeated defensively.
"Isn't it?" Alex's voice was gentle. Not accusatory. Just questioning. "You're living in his house. Working for him. You are completely dependent on him for everything. That's not strength, Amelia. That's captivity with lovely furniture."
His words stung because part of me wondered if he was right.
"You don't understand," I said quietly.
"Maybe not. But I know what I see. And what I see is someone who deserves better than being hidden away like a secret." He pulled the car to a stop. "We're back at the coffee shop. Do you want me to drive you to the estate?"
"No. "I'll take a cab from here instead; it's safer that way."
"Okay. Text me when you get home safe."
"I will."
I climbed out of the car. Heard him drive away.
I quickly grabbed my phone to verify the time.
2:47pm.
Oh, I was supposed to be back by two.
Jeremy would be home. Jeremy would be waiting for me.
I quickly called him.
He answered on the second ring. "Amelia? Where are you?"
"I'm sorry. I'm running late. I went out with Elena—we got coffee and lost track of time. I'm on my way back now."
A pause. "You're with Elena?"
"Yes. She called this morning. She asked if I wanted to meet up. I should have told you."
"No, it's fine. I'm glad you're spending time with her." His voice softened. "Take your time. Be safe. Have Luca pick you up if you need a ride."
"I will. Thank you."
"See you when you get home."
He hung up.
I stood there on the street corner, guilt washing over me.
I'd lied. Easily and so smoothly. Like it was nothing.
And he'd believed me. Trusted me. He instructed me to be patient and take my time.
I had just spent two hours with a Volkov learning how to shoot. Lying about everything.
'I can handle the consequences,' I told myself again. I can handle it.
But the guilt was getting harder to ignore.
JEREMY
I hung up and stared at my phone.
Amelia was with Elena. Having coffee. Enjoying her friend's company.
Good. That was wonderful. It was exactly what I wanted for her.
Except...
Something felt off. Her voice was too bright.
Maybe I was being paranoid. Maybe she was just nervous about being out without permission.
Or maybe—
No. I was overthinking this. She was with Elena. The friend I'd brought to her. The safe, normal person.
Nothing to worry about.
I set down my phone and turned back to the contract I'd been reviewing.
A knock on my office door made me look up.
"Come in."
The door opened. Victoria Castellano walked in, her eyes red-rimmed. Makeup slightly smudged.
She'd been crying.
"Victoria? What happened?"
She closed the door behind her. Locked it. She walked to my desk and sank into the chair across from me.
"I broke up with Matteo."
The words hit me like a punch. "You what?"
"I broke up with him. This morning. It's—it's over."
"Why?" I stood and came around the desk. "Victoria, why would you do that? You love him. You've been with him for two years—"
"It's because we're not going anywhere!" Her voice cracked. "Because we're living in secret, sneaking around, pretending we don't exist to each other in public. Because I'm engaged to you and he's just—" She wiped at her eyes. "He's just the man I love who I can never actually be with."
"So you end it? You destroy the whole reason we have this arrangement in the first place? " I could feel anger rising in my chest. Hot and sharp. "Do you have any idea what this means?"
She shot back "I know exactly what it means."
"Do you? Because if you're not with Matteo anymore, if you're just—single—then there's no reason for our arrangement. No reason for you to need the cover of our engagement. Which means our families will expect us to actually get married." I stepped closer. "Is that what you want? To actually marry me? Are you willing to abandon love due to its difficulty?
"I don't know what I want!" She stood up, facing me. "I just know I couldn't keep doing it. Couldn't keep lying. Couldn't keep—" She stopped. "It hurt too much."
"Then you go back to him. You apologise. You fix it. Because, Victoria, this arrangement only works if we both have people we're protecting. Both of us must have compelling reasons to uphold the façade. If you don't—"
"If I don't, then maybe we should just make it real." The words came out quietly from her.
I stared at her. "What?"
Then she proceeded in a gentle tone, "Make it real. Us. The engagement. We get along. We understand each other. We could—"
"No," I interrupted her.
"Jeremy"
"No." I stepped back. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to suggest we have an open arrangement so you can be with Matteo, and then when that gets hard, decide we should just be together instead."
"I'm not."
"You are." My voice was cold now. Hard. "You're giving up on love because it's difficult. And you want me to give up, too. You want me to choose convenience over authenticity. Well, I won't do it."
"Why not? Could you please explain your concerns regarding convenience and practicality? She asked.
"Because I found someone!" The words exploded out of me. "I found someone I actually want. Someone I care about. Someone who matters. And I'm not giving her up because you couldn't handle a little difficulty with Matteo."
Victoria's eyes widened. "The blind girl. You're serious about her."
"Yes."
"How serious?"
"Serious enough that I will burn this entire arrangement down before I give her up. Serious enough that if you try to make this engagement real, I will tell my father everything. About Matteo. About our deal and all of it."
"You wouldn't," She shouted.
"Try me." I moved closer. Let her see the dangerous side of me. The mafia heir who didn't ask nicely. "You started this, Victoria. You came to me two years ago with this plan. Open arrangement. We both get what we want. We both get to keep our real relationships private while maintaining the family alliance."
"I know"
"And now, you want to back out because it got hard and you couldn't handle the pain of loving someone you couldn't claim. "You want to make me give up what I have so you don't feel bad about losing what you had."
"That's not—" she tried to defend herself.
"It is exactly that." I leaned down, hands on the desk, getting close enough that she could see I meant every word. "Go back to Matteo. Apologise. Fix it. And if you can't—if you're really done with him—then you better figure out how to be okay with this engagement staying fake. Because I'm not marrying you, Victoria. Not now. Not ever. You can dream about it all you want. But it's not happening."
"Jeremy!"
"You should have thought about all of this before you suggested the open marriage situation. This entire mess should have been avoided before you made it. I straightened my shoulders. "Now get out of my office. Go fix your relationship. And don't come back here with ideas about making this real. The answer will always be no.
She stared at me. Shocked. Maybe a little scared.
Good. She should be scared.
I was done playing nice. Done pretending. Done letting other people's decisions about their love life affect mine.
I had Amelia. And I was keeping her. I was determined to keep her, regardless of Victoria's desires. It didn't matter what my father had to say. I was prepared to pay any price.
"Get out," I said again. Quieter this time, and more dangerous.
Victoria stood. Walked to the door. She stopped, her hand resting on the doorknob.
"I hope she's worth it," she said quietly. "I hope she's worth everything you're risking."
"She is."
Victoria left.
And I sat back down at my desk, hands shaking with anger and adrenaline.
Victoria had almost destroyed everything. She almost forced me into a real engagement that would have made Amelia impossible.
But I'd stopped it. Made it clear where I stood.
Amelia was mine. And I wasn't giving her up.