Page 54 of Be With Me
I ignored him. I was so furious with him that I didn’t trust myself to speak. Instead, I typed out a quick response.
She called me. I’ll drive back first thing in the morning. Love you.
I stared at the screen. Two checkmarks appeared.
Then nothing.
She left me on read.
“Mia.”
I gritted my teeth.Don’t answer. Don’t give him the satisfaction.
“Mia,” he growled, his tone dark and expectant, like he was owed my attention.
That was it. I snapped.
“Enough!” I whipped my head toward him. “I’m not going to tell you anything about my dad. I don’t know what you want, what you’re digging for, but you’re not going to get anything from me.”
“Listen to me?—“
“No,youlisten to me, you jerk. I realize I made a mistake. I should have never sent you that text. I should have never agreed to work with you. But I’m not going to put up with this blackmail. You want to send that picture to the press? Go ahead, Romolo. I’ll deal with the fallout. I’ll work until I'm exhausted to fix the situation if that’s what I have to do to make sure you never have any power over me.”
Silence. Broken only by the rain hammering against the windshield.
Romolo’s gaze stayed fixed on the road, his knuckles white as bone. For once, he didn’t have a quick comeback.
I was so worked up that I was sweating. I’d never stood up for myself like that before. Never dared to.
It was a revelation. It feltso damn good.
And I wasn’t done yet. “How do you sleep at night?”
“I don’t.” His voice was low, strained. He didn’t sound like his usual self.
Had I gotten through to him? I hoped he felt ashamed.
The rain was coming down in sheets. The wipers struggled to keep up.
The veins on the backs of Romolo’s hands bulged as he strangled the wheel. He was pale, almost ashen. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
Hold on…Something was wrong.
I frowned, shifting slightly to get a better look at him. “Romolo?”
His chest jerked as he inhaled, sharp and ragged.
And then the car swerved.
“Romolo!” My hands flew out, bracing against the dash as the Mercedes jerked across the slick pavement. He was gasping, his chest heaving as he clawed at his collar with one hand like he couldn’t breathe.
“Pull over!” I screamed, reaching for the wheel and placing my hand on top of his. His skin was ice cold.
He veered off the road, slamming the brakes just as we skidded to a stop near the edge of a wooded area.
“Stay here.” He threw the door open and stumbled out into the rain.
I watched him run in front of the car and disappear in the shadows. My pulse was still hammering, my body still stuck in that moment of panic.
