Page 128 of Bound in Obsession
I kiss her forehead. “Then we’ll make it happen.”
She smiles softly, then looks up at me with those beautiful eyes. “Thank you.”
I brush my thumb across her cheek. “There’s something else. I’ve been thinking… we have a therapist who works with our family, she's very discreet. If you want to talk to someone, I can arrange it.”
She searches my face for a moment, then nods slowly. “I think… that could help.”
“Good. I'll arrange for you to meet her when you're ready.”
“Thank you.” She leans up and kisses me deeply.
The kiss quickly turns hungry. My hands slide down her body, pulling her closer. She moans softly into my mouth, pressing herself against me.
Before I know it, we’re both pulling at our clothes, forgetting all about dinner. Her robe hits the floor. My shirt follows. I lift her, carrying her to the bed where I show her how much I've missed her.
EPILOGUE
Sienna
One month later…
The sun sinks low behind the trees, turning the sky the color of blood and fire.
Orange and pink bleed together over the courtyard, the last light stretching long shadows across the stone. From my bedroom window, I watch my father and his men escort Alessandro Gallo’s entourage out of the house.
Alessandro did not even come himself.
He sent his second. His lawyers. His soldiers. Men in dark suits who spoke in low voices, signed papers, drank my father’s whiskey, and decided my sister’s future as if she were nothing more than another clause in their contract.
The deal is done.
Signed and sealed.
In three months, my baby sister will walk down the aisle and marry Alessandro Gallo. Andrea’s younger brother. The new heir. The man who inherits everything now that Andrea is dead.
The alliance between the Carusos and the Gallos will be restored. The threat of war has been pushed back. Our enemies will see unity instead of weakness.
Everyone downstairs is calling it a victory.
I should feel relieved.
Instead, I feel like I am standing at the edge of a grave I dug with my own hands.
Behind me, the house moves on as if nothing terrible has happened. Maids pass through the hallway with soft footsteps, setting the table for dinner, polishing silver, carrying vases of fresh flowers as if beauty can cover the smell of sacrifice.
Tonight, after dinner, Eleonora, Camilla, Daniela, and I are supposed to meet in the sitting room to discuss Eleonora’s wedding.
Her wedding.
Her happiness.
The thought should warm me. And it does, in some small, aching corner of my heart. Eleonora deserves every bit of joy she has found with Nico. She has suffered enough. She has endured enough fear, enough loneliness, enough uncertainty. When Nico looks at her, it is as if the entire world begins and ends with her.
My sister glows under that love.
I am happy for her.
Truly, I am.
