Chapter 80 — You're Safe Now

MAXIMILIANO.

"Did you call him?" I pressed my phone on my ear, waiting for Niccolo to confirm my suspicion. I sat beside Adreana, the soft glow of the nightstand lamp casting a warm ambiance across the room. The sheets crumpled beneath us, and her legs rested on mine, our bare skin cooling as I inhaled her mild scent.

"Enzo? No. Why?" Niccolo replied, his voice on the other end sounding hoarse. "Should I?"

"I dunno."

"You want me to?" he mumbled after a moment of silence.

I cocked my head to my right and pinched the skin between my brows. "Your call."

"Okay."

"Tried calling him a couple times but he's not answering." I glanced outside the windows, the dark curtains partly blocking my view of the fading sunset.

I had no idea why Alodia chose to hide in one of our hotels in Rome. Or if she even knew my family owned it. But, pretty sure Raffaele knew. I bet he'd been lying to his best friend all this time. Just to protect her from Leandro.

Shit. Another cluster fuck I didn't need in my life...

"He told you he's still in the hospital?" Niccolo asked, his voice jerking me out of my thoughts.

"This morning. Just send him a link to the folder. He'll know it's you."

"Fine," he sighed. "Your Mamma's asking if you're going to Tuscany, by the way. You and Adreana."

"Why?"

Niccolo chuckled. "For your honeymoon."

"Whatever. Call or text me if his jet leaves New York."

"It's his now?"

I winced when he practically yelled the question, as if Leandro being generous to his own brother was the biggest shock of the year.

"Leandro willingly gave it to him?"

"Probably. I don't really give a shit. Ask him yourself." I ended the call and tossed my phone on the nightstand, the back of my head leaning against the cold wall.

Beside me, Adreana looked like she was about to doze off, her breathing quiet and steady. But her hand under the blanket was still caressing my thigh.

We almost stirred up another argument when she asked why Niccolo kept calling me. I told her I saved his life once after Pappa tortured him for days, which was why Niccolo felt indebted to me. When she asked if Joachim was still in a coma, I told her Nicco hadn't checked the hospital records again.

Then she asked how I met the Tomassini brothers—Lorenzio, particularly. After I laid out the facts about how I met Enzo, Adreana backed off and timidly apologized for asking too many questions. She must've thought I kept too many secrets from her because I still didn't trust her.

I figured my tendency to keep to myself often triggered unpleasant memories for her, which I understood. It was one of the biggest issues Mykaela and I tried to work out, back when we were trying a long-distance thing. The difference was: Adreana had more triggers, and I knew why.

She didn't want to leave or do anything but clean my house and work on her spreadsheets, so I told her we could just stay in and hang out. After dinner, she went up here and tidied up the whole room while I was getting ready for bed.

We ended up having sex again, and I felt the air between us shift. Now it felt quite heavy with emotions still unspoken. I tried to shake off the feeling by finishing some work I left behind before we got married at the courthouse. But my attempt to distract myself didn't really work.

I turned my head to face her, my fingers toying with the flossy strap of her nightgown, her dark and silky hair spread over my pillow and framing her stunning face. "What else did he do?" I traced the delicate curve of her shoulder.

"What?" Adreana slowly opened her eyes and stared up at me, her voice almost a whisper in the stillness.

I stroked her arm. "When you were living with him in Rome."

She averted her eyes, then inhaled sharply after her finger stopped tracing patterns on my forearm. "Maxim..."

"Just curious." I kissed the top of her head, loving the flowery scent of her hair. "But if you don't want to share details, fine with me."

"Alright," she murmured with furrowed brows. Her sigh didn't mask the hesitation in her voice.

My curiosity wouldn't stop pestering me. These past few nights, especially. There was a profound, gnawing pain behind her eyes, and I wanted to know everything. Every single thing she had to endure before I offered her a chance to rebuild her life.

I knew she hadn't talked to a shrink about her last relationship. Hence me worrying about her mental health. But if I kept encouraging her, I might be able to convince her to seek proper counseling one of these days.

Adreana shifted and turned her gaze back to me, her eyes glistening despite the dim lighting. "I first met him in an art gallery."

"In London?"

"Yeah, when I was still working there. My boss said Joachim and his uncle were big-time art dealers. From Rome."

"Then what?" I gently combed her bangs away from her cheek.

"I thought... Oh, he's so charming, intelligent, friendly, handsome, stable, and... Honestly, I thought he was perfect," she muttered, her voice laden with sadness. "I didn't hesitate when he asked me to go on a date with him. We agreed to be exclusive after our fourth date. He took me to Maldives."

Wow. Okay. Son of a bitch really pulled out all the stops there. "But it was mostly long-distance? When you started dating?"

Adreana nodded faintly, her eyes avoiding mine again. "But I didn't mind. I liked how he was so patient, and sweet, and he really put in the effort, y'know? He would send me gifts, and take me to places I've never been."

Love Bombing 101. "So he was in London often?"

"Yeah. He would come see me practically every month, and then fly me to Rome. Sometimes twice a month. I thought it was so sweet and generous of him." Adreana itched her temple, her smile faint like her raspy voice. "I fell for him. Hard."

"Sure."

"I thought he was the man I was going to marry someday."

"Then he asked you to move to Rome?"

"Yeah. A few times." She cleared her throat and shrugged weakly, her voice slightly trembling. "When he told me about his depression, of course I said yes. Because I really cared about him."

"Okay."

"I loved him, and I just wanted him to get better."

"You thought you could help him."

"Sure. Yeah. But then, he started becoming possessive. Controlling," she droned on.

I gritted my teeth, my gut churning at the dark, graphic images forming in my head. "Manipulative."

Adreana let out a heavy sigh. "Like I was a piece of property he owned." She bit on her lip, her gorgeous eyes absently focused on my hand clasping hers. "I, erm, would try to confront him about it. One time he told me, I couldn't do any better. That I was lucky to have him."

I tightened my hold on her, every bit of me clenching at her words.

"Yeah, he was something else," she mumbled with a faint shake of her head. "About six months of us living together, I started to realize he would lie, insult and gaslight me whenever it suits him, and I would doubt my own thoughts and feelings." Adreana buried her face in her hands. "Some days I actually felt like I was losing it."

"But you stayed with him," I said in a calmer voice, "'cause you thought..."

"I-I thought that, if he realized how much I loved him, he would change. So I made excuses for his behavior. Too many times. I tried to rationalize it, blaming his difficult childhood and dysfunctional family. Then I found out, he was cheating on me. We fought about it, and, I tried to break up with him. He apologized. Told me he's sorry over and over. And he promised he wouldn't do it again."

But of course the dickhead lied.

"And we were fine. Things were okay. For a while." Adreana scoffed and added a shrug. "Then he left for Amsterdam. Hong Kong. It happened a lot. He'd be gone for days. No communication at all. Before our anniversary, he was gone for three weeks, and I wouldn't have found out where he was if I hadn't asked his assistant. He was also screwing her, by the way."

Self-centered piece of shit.

"Tried to confront him about it, but, he would always flip it around. He blamed me." Adreana forced another grin and gripped my hand.

"Course he did."

She let out a chuckle, one devoid of humor. "I was crying my eyes out, and he said it's my fault, because, according to him, I was always negative and emotionally distant." A tear trickled down her cheek.

I gently wiped it away with my thumb, reining in my emotions, pretending I was perfectly calm. "And you felt like shit. But you felt trapped."

She nodded. "I blamed and hated myself. Tried to distract myself with work. Then I left Rome and went back to Bristol."

"You told your friends about him?"

"I-I couldn't. I mean, I tried once, but he..." She wiped the tears off her cheeks in haste. "I didn't really keep in touch with my mates back home. Met a few good ones in Rome, but, for their safety, I cut ties with them."

"Because he's shown his true colors." More narcissistic traits and manipulative tactics, I bet.

"Yeah. Took me a while, to figure out he was isolating me from my parents and my friends so it would be easier for him to control me. At one point, I just kept thinking... If we're gonna get married, I'd be trapped forever. There's no way I could ever leave him, and his family would always think I was just another gold-digger."

"When did he start stalking you?"

"Two, three weeks after I left his house in Rome."

"And then you found out about your parents?"

"Yeah. I was at work when, erm, the police phoned me. They said Mum and Dad were in a car accident the night before." Adreana covered her face, her shaky voice muffled by her palm.

"Sorry." I rubbed her back lightly.

"Had a bit of a nervous breakdown."

"Joachim kept showin' up?"

"Yeah. I thought I had no choice but to go back to Rome."

"Why?"

Adreana scoffed. "Because I asked him for help."

"Right." I sighed. Big mistake.

"But in the back of my head, I kept telling myself, I was such a pillock for going back. So stupid."

"No. Don't." I caressed her soft skin. "You were vulnerable, grieving, and he took advantage of you. Okay? His behavior wasn't your fault." As the weight of her words pressed down on me, I clenched my fist under the blanket. A surge of anger boiled my blood when her tears kept coming.

I badly wanted to castrate the asshole who had subjected her to that kind of torment. But if I ended up in prison for something the police should've done a while ago, Adreana would feel alone again. Like she had no one else to run to.

She choked back a sob and covered her damp eyes with her fingers, snuggling up to me and trying deep breaths to calm herself.

"Hey."

She whimpered. "Should've left him the first time I found out he cheated."

"Yeah. Sure. But he wouldn't have let you go that easily."

"It was my fault, too. I kept believing his lies."

"My point is, you didn't deserve any of that. He hurt you. Lied to you. Over and over. He abused you." I clenched my jaw. Merely saying it out loud made me want to hit something. "He didn't really give a shit about you. Bastard could've tried to fix himself with therapy or whatever. Instead he chose to do all those things to you, because he could."

Adreana kept sniveling.

"None of that was your fault." I kissed her forehead, my voice firm, impressed by her resilience and the strength she found in herself to break free from the chains of that abusive criminal.

But I knew she needed more time to heal from all of the trauma. All that abuse. I should just be grateful that I was the one she chose to help her get over that crook.

Adreana pressed her face on my chest and sighed, drawing in deep breaths with her arm wrapped around me.

"No one should ever feel like they gotta put up with that shit. Okay?" I held her close. I could only hope my words provided the comfort she needed. There was no way I could erase all the pain from her past, but with my father's money, I could certainly promise her a better future.

"Okay."

"You're safe here," I murmured, her attempts to choke back tears still making my chest ache. "He's never gonna hurt you again. You're safe with me."

Adreana looked up at me, her eyes filled with hope and tears, her smile a fragile expression of the trust she placed in me. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Because you care." She kissed my knuckles. "I still don't know why you think I...that I deserve any of this."

"You deserve a chance to start over and live your life the way you want to." I kissed her on the cheek.

She kept still when my lips lingered on her soft and warm face. Her heart was beating fast against my bare skin, our intimacy gripping my thoughts.

As she lay on my chest, wrapped in my arms, I mentally recounted the things we've been through in just a matter of weeks. This thing we had gave me a renewed sense of purpose, but it wasn't the main reason I couldn't force myself to walk away.

Some days I still couldn't believe I let her into my life so fast. So easily. We didn't even have that much in common. When we first met, even though I made her believe a fuck buddy was all I wanted, I just knew she was someone I wanted to get to know better.

It was weird. But now I was more than glad we met that night. "Promise you'll slap some sense into me if I start behaving like that asshole again."

Adreana stared back at me with a scowl, her eyes still pinkish.

I threaded my fingers through her soft hair. "Pappa was the same. Jealous, but he's the one who keeps lying and cheating." I smirked. "Always manipulative. Controlling. Dominant."

Adreana budged and pulled away, then cleared her throat and stroked the back of my hand. "Did he hurt your mum?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "More than a few times. I don't wanna know the exact number," I muttered, clenching my jaw as an unpleasant memory resurfaced. "She likes to think they never happened."

When I didn't elaborate, Adreana put her arm around me for a hug, the firmness of her embrace quite calming. Reassuring. "I'm sorry you grew up witnessing all of that."

"Yeah, well... Life sucks." I shrugged. "But I'm used to it." I was so used to it that, whenever I felt happy and content with everything I had, it would feel odd.

Adreana knelt on the bed to plant a kiss on my forehead.

My stomach fluttered at the intimacy of the gesture. Past me would still doubt her motives and her sincerity. But I knew why. Most of my trust issues emerged from my father's actions. And to make this relationship last, I knew the work I had to do to make her stay. "Did Joachim hurt you, too?"

"Hurt me how?" she murmured, her warm hand clasping my arm.

"In bed." I stared at her face, holding my breath, waiting for an honest answer.

"Once."

I closed my eyes when her voice cracked. Fuck. I shouldn't have asked.

"He was out of it, and I... I tried to tell him to stop. But he was—"

"Okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't really want to." I hugged her to my chest. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"I hurt you last time. I mean, twice."

"No. That was..."

"I'm sorry. I'm not gonna do that again." Biting her in bed... Using her blood... Shit. It was most likely the reason she told me we should stop having sex. Not because Mamma found out we were sleeping together.

Adreana pulled away, frowning and squinting at me like my apology confused her. "But I consented to it."

"Not to that extent." I shook my head.

"Maxim, you're not the only guy I've met with a biting kink, y'know."

"It's still out of line. I shouldn't have done it."

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "If I wasn't willing, I would've said no."

"Not really. You just thought you had to do it."

"What? No." Some awkwardness filled the silence around us until Adreana spoke again. "I really wanted to get to know you, so I... That's why I wanted to meet your mum."

I stifled a sigh and glared at the ceiling, the guilt and self-hatred eating at me again.

"You didn't take advantage of me. Alright?" Her voice sounded a bit softer now.

"Still feels like I did."

"No."

I glanced down at her hand on my chest and stared at her beautiful face. The concern in her eyes seemed genuine, but it only made me feel like I was expecting too much from her. Like I was using her situation and our arrangement to make her feel indebted to me.

I wanted to tell her I wanted more than this. But it would scare her away. For now it was best if we focused on our goal. Our plan.

We might fail, and this probably wouldn't turn into the happily ever after she'd dreamed for herself. But I was more than willing to give it a shot. To keep this going. Whatever it took to make her stay.