Chapter 11

Chiara

I stare at Alessio, wondering if he’s serious or if he’s just playing with me. I wait for him to tell me the punchline, but he just holds my gaze with his hand under his chin.

At that moment, I would have given everything I have just to take that mask off and see his face.

As though sensing where my thoughts are going, Alessio huffs and says, “Well, what do you want? I don’t have all day.”

I swallow hard, blinking rapidly to shake off the daze that seems to have been put upon me by his eyes. “I . . . want to be free from here.”

“You know I can’t do that.” He laughs, getting up and gathering his bloody clothes. “Besides, what are you going to do while you’re out there?”

That completely stumps me. What am I going to do out there? Go back to the strip club and earn measly money to hope that one day it would accumulate well and give me a chance to start over?

“I’ve always wanted to go back to college,” I whisper. “I had to drop out before.”

“Then I’ll send you to college,” he says