Page 113 of Arranged Marriage to the Brutal Bratva King
“I didn’t have a choice when I married you.”
The words should sting. They don’t, because she’s right. I took that choice from her just like I’ve taken so many others.
Time to give one back.
“The phone,” I say. “I told you I’d known for a few days, but that’s not true. I knew for much longer.”
She goes very still. “What?”
“I knew the entire time.”
Silence stretches between us, heavy with implications.
“You knew.” Her voice is carefully neutral. “How?”
“Felix’s surveillance caught Santini approaching you. We enhanced the footage, traced the contact back to the Zullos.” I meet her eyes, refusing to look away. “I had the phone monitored from the moment you sent the first message.”
“You monitored it.”
“Yes.”
“Read my messages.”
“Every one.”
“Watched me respond.”
“Yes.”
She stands, putting distance between us. I let her go, watching emotions war across her face—betrayal, fury, something that might be relief underneath.
“It was a test,” she says finally. “The whole thing. You knew they approached me, knew they were trying to turn me against you, and you just… watched. Waited to see what I’d do.”
“Yes.”
“How long were you planning to let it go on?”
“As long as necessary to confirm your loyalty.”
The blunt honesty makes her flinch. “And in the study that night? When you caught me at your desk?”
“I knew exactly what you were looking for. The encrypted laptop, the external drive—I left them there deliberately. Made sure you’d have opportunity.”
“So you could catch me.”
“So you could choose.” I force myself to meet her gaze despite wanting to look away from the hurt there. “Every step, every message, every moment you thought about betraying me—I was watching. Waiting to see what you’d do when you thought I couldn’t see.”
Janice laughs, sharp and bitter. “You manipulative bastard.”
“Yes.”
“This entire time, while I was agonizing over whether to help them, whether to steal from you, you already knew. You set the whole thing up.”
“Not the initial approach. That was genuine. The Zullos wanted leverage, and you were the obvious choice.” I shift again, pain forgotten in the need to make her understand. “Once I knew, I could have ended it immediately. Could have confronted you, eliminated the threat, moved on.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I needed to know if you’d choose me. Not because I forced you, not because you had no other option, but because you wanted to.” The admission costs more than I expected. “I needed to know if this marriage was something you could want instead of just endure.”
