Page 155 of A Diamond Deal
‘Why do you ask?’ The question seemed almost to be dragged from him against his will.
Because he knew. She could tell, he knew.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she murmured. Apparently, she wasn’t a fighter, after all.
‘If it matters to you, then you can say,’ he offered. But she knew he didn’t want to hear. And she didn’t want to burden him with her admission. That she’d fallen in love with him was her mistake. Her stupidity. He’d warned her all along to take care—she just hadn’t known how. And now she alone would live with the consequences of that.
He put up with it for a week. For a whole week after that night at his Frascati vineyard, he went through the motions of their marriage with the clarity of what she hadn’t said.
That she loved him. Or thought she did.
He watched his convenient bride, hiscontessina, act her part to perfection. Having dinner with his grandfather, then her grandparents, smiling at him as though her heart weren’t breaking when he could see, so clearly, that it was.
Because he knew her.
He knew her every impulse, instinct, thought and feeling. He knew her heart, her soul, her mind, her dreams. He knew and understood her.
He had known, even in London, that she was special and unique. He’d also known that she was innocent and inexperienced, that there was a risk of her wanting more than he could offer. A risk of her thinking she was in love with him. He’d known, and failed to protect her. He’d taken what he wanted—her body—and destroyed her heart in the process. And it couldn’t go on any longer.
He wouldn’t allow it to.
‘Amelia?’ he called, scanning the apartment for her before he could back out of doing the right thing, simply because it felt so good having her here. ‘We need to talk.’
‘That sounds ominous,’ she said, keeping her voice neutral, acting the part of the carefree fake wife he wanted. She was midway through stepping into the dress she was wearing to dinner. She pulled it in place and zipped it up, sucking in a deep breath as she waited.
But Massimiliano didn’t play his part in return. They’d long ago abandoned separate bedrooms and now lived in his; and his face, when he stalked into the room, was like a thunderclap. She blinked in surprise, pushing down the worry that was churning inside her.
‘We need to talk,’ he repeated.
She tilted her head to the side, not sure she could trust herself to say anything in return.
‘I have good news.’ His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Something held her impossibly, completely still. ‘Oh?’
‘I’ve realised something important. We’ve done what we set out to achieve, with this marriage.’
Her heart stopped beating. ‘Have we?’ The words were barely a whisper.
‘My grandfather is euphoric. He’s been inundated with invitations by his so-called, one-time friends. You’ve met your grandparents. I don’t think there’s any need to keep going with this charade.’
She flinched.Charade?
She shook her head slightly. ‘I’m sorry. What does that mean?’
He let out a sigh. ‘I can’t be responsible for you not pursuing your dreams, Amelia. Studying medicine at your age is going to require you to start as soon as possible. I’ve organised everything. An apartment for you in London, a tutor for your UCAT; naturally I’ll pay the fees.’
It felt as though a knife were plunging into her side. ‘What?’
He moved closer then, so they were standing toe to toe. ‘You shouldn’t have to put off your life. You deserve so much better.’
She deservedhim. That was all she wanted.
‘I don’t understand. What about…two years? I thought we had two years.’
A muscle jerked in his jaw. ‘You need to leave.’ For the briefest moment, the mask slipped. He sounded emotional. Conflicted.
As though he didn’t really want this.
