06

Lily Montgomery

I choked on my own saliva, struggling to breathe, and everything felt like a nightmare. A real nightmare. I tried to speak, to show some sort of reaction, but nothing came out of my mouth. The last words Luigi Romano had said kept repeating in my mind like a mental hell.

"He's going to be your future husband."

I focused on the wall in front of me as we walked toward the dining room. What the hell had happened to my life?

The maid pulled the chair back so I could sit down, facing Matteo. He hadn’t changed a bit in his appearance. His crystal-clear blue eyes stared at me curiously, his black straight hair, the beard, and the chiseled jaw. The only difference now was that I didn’t know him anymore. I didn’t know who he was, or why he was part of all this. He was one of them.

And he didn’t even have the decency to break up with me in person; he did it over the phone.

Anger rose in my body, but I held it in. If I wanted to escape this, I had to stay calm.

"So, Mr. Salvatore," my father cleared his throat. "When do you intend to get married?"

"This month, if you agree," Matteo said.

"The sooner, the better," my father added.

I stared at them. How could they take this situation so calmly? Did Matteo know I was being forced into this? Questions swirled in my mind, and it felt like my body was there, but my mind wasn’t.

The dinner went on in silence. I barely touched the food, which was Italian pasta. Luigi got up and went to the bathroom. Great, I’d have a chance to talk to that bastard.

"Why are you doing this?" My voice came out weak.

"Your life is in danger. And believe me, you’d prefer to marry me than the other suitor your father found for you," he said in a cold tone.

An ironic laugh escaped my lips.

"You disgust me." I spat the words out. "You left me when I found out my mother was sick. We were engaged, and you just disappeared without even asking if I was alive."

"Lily..."

"Let me speak. I have that right." I took a deep breath. "And now you show up to marry me? I don’t even know who you are anymore. I don’t know who my father really is."

"You’ll get all the explanations you need, but don’t tell your father we already knew each other."

He stood up and adjusted his suit, accidentally revealing his gun. That’s when I realized—Matteo Salvatore, the man I once knew, with whom I spent nights of love, was no longer the same. He was now a criminal, and I didn’t even know what they truly did.

"We don’t need to have anything," he sat back down in his chair. "It’s just a marriage contract, with terms and conditions, and in exchange, I’ll protect you."

I stared at him and leaned toward his face from across the table.

"I won’t marry you," I shouted.

I pulled away from the table, feeling the blood boil in my veins. My body was on fire, and all I wanted was to get out of there, run to the street, find any way out, anything that could take me out of this nightmare. But I couldn’t. I knew there was nowhere to go.

Matteo’s words echoed in my mind, and something deep inside me screamed that he was right. My life was at risk. But how could he sit there in front of me, as if everything he did was a rational choice? As if the pain he caused hadn’t been a deep, immense wound? I felt stupid for having believed in him, for having given my heart to someone who now was a distorted version of the man I had known.

"I won’t marry you, Matteo," I repeated, more firmly this time, trying to control the storm inside me.

He didn’t answer immediately. He just looked at me with those blue eyes, as if weighing my words. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to stand up and leave, but he did nothing of the sort. He simply stayed seated, his posture straight, his expression impassive, as if nothing affected him emotionally.

"You have no choice, ragazza. If not with me, then with someone you wouldn’t even want to meet. I’m the only one who can protect you now," he said, his voice serious, devoid of emotion.

I stared at him, trying to understand his words. I couldn’t make sense of what he wanted from me. I had known him, or at least I thought I did. But this man, this Matteo Salvatore in front of me, was not the same one who touched me with care, who whispered sweet words in my ear.

This man was dangerous. And now, I was a stranger to him.

"You used me," my voice came out softer, but still filled with anger and pain. "You didn’t care about anything we went through. You left me alone when I needed you the most."

He didn’t look down. He didn’t look away. He kept his eyes fixed on mine, as if analyzing me, trying to figure out how long my resistance would last.

"I did what I had to do. I have no excuses for what happened between us, Lily. But this is different. Now we’re in a bigger game, and whether you like it or not, you’re part of it," he said, his voice colder now.

The anger inside me grew again, but something else emerged as well. A cold fear, a sense of powerlessness that tightened around my chest. I didn’t want to marry him, but what else could I do? Run away? That would only put me in more danger. I didn’t know who to trust, or what to do next.

"So that’s it?" I almost whispered. "I’m just a piece in your game? Just a... part of a contract?"

He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, his voice lower now, almost as if he was talking to himself.

"Yes, that’s it. A contract. Even if you don’t want me, you’ll need me."

I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know if I trusted him or if my anger and fear were blinding me. All I knew was that somehow, I was stuck in this world, this contract with him. And I didn’t know how to get out anymore.