Chapter fourteen: The accusation

Fiona’s POV

I stared at my the man who has been my husband of approximately four hours.

The same man who’d kissed me in front of hundreds of people, called me beautiful, and spent the entire reception pretending we were madly in love.

Apparently, the honeymoon phase had officially ended.

“Luca, I don’t understand.”

“Where did Martha get this necklace?”

“I don’t know!”

“Think, Fiona.”

“What exactly would you like me to think about? My mother gave me a necklace this morning. I didn’t ask her to provide a receipt and a detailed history of its previous owners!”

His jaw tightened. “Watch your tone.”

I blinked.

Oh, excuse me.

Was the man currently interrogating me in my wedding-night robe seriously complaining about my tone?

“You’re the one shouting at me!”

“Then stop giving me reasons to!”

I flinched because voice had risen so sharply that I instinctively stepped backward and Luca noticed I thought he was going to reduce his moment then he looked down at the pendant again, and whatever restraint he’d been holding onto disappeared.

“Did your mother tell you where she got it?”

“No.”

“Did she mention who owned it before her?”

“No!”

“Did Vito give it to her?”

“I don’t know, Luca!”

“You’re lying.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“You’re a Romano. Lying comes naturally to your family.”

Something cold settled in my chest. “Don’t talk about my family like that.”

He laughed bitterly.

“Your family? You have no idea what your precious family is capable of.”

“And you do?”

His eyes hardened. “More than you could possibly imagine.”

I opened my mouth, then closed it because was something in his expression that frightened me more than the shouting, he didn’t just look angry, he looked like he was in pain.

Ans from the way he was holding the pendant trapped his fingers, I knew it had something to do with either it.

“Luca, whatever this is about, I genuinely don’t know anything. Mamma gave it to me this morning. She said it meant a lot to her, and that it would protect me.”

He went still. “Protect you?”

I nodded cautiously. “Yes.”

His mouth twisted. “Of course she did.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He didn’t answer instead, he reached behind my neck.

I stiffened. “What are you doing?”

“Taking it off.”

“No.”

His fingers found the clasp. “Luca, stop!”

A second later, the necklace came free, I stared at his hand and then at my suddenly bare neck, just like that he had taken it.

“Give it back.”

He closed his fist around the pendant. “No.”

I laughed in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“That belongs to me!”

“It never belonged to you.”

“You don’t get to decide that!”

He stepped away, his expression frighteningly calm now. “I’m done with this conversation.”

I watched him walk toward the wardrobe, where he’d left his jacket earlier.

“Where are you going?”

“Out.”

I blinked. “Out?”

He slipped on his jacket.

“Yes, Fiona. Out. It’s a fairly simple word.”

Oh, wonderful he was being sarcastic and apparently, he was allowed to use it, but I wasn’t.

I followed him. “Luca, you can’t just leave!”

He didn’t turn around. “Watch me.”

My stomach dropped because he was serious and was actually going to walk out on me on our wedding night.

“Luca, please.”

He stopped and I don’t it was because he was moved, apparently, but because he seemed genuinely irritated that I was still speaking.

“What now?”

I swallowed. “The guests.”

“What about them?”

“They’re still downstairs. Some of them are probably still celebrating. If you leave now, they’ll know.”

“Know what?”

I stared at him. “That you rejected me!”

He looked utterly unimpressed. “And?”

I wanted to scream.

“Do you have any idea what people will say? Your friends were practically cheering you into this room! If you walk out now, they’ll think something happened. They’ll think you didn’t want me!”

“Then let them think.”

I stared at him because couldn’t possibly mean that.

“Luca, please. You don’t have to stay with me. You can sleep on the sofa, or I can sleep somewhere else. Just don’t leave like this.”

His expression didn’t change. “Move.”

I was standing between him and the door, I hadn’t even realized it.

“Luca—”

“Fiona.”

The warning in his voice made my throat tighten. “Move away from the door.”

I stepped aside.

Because despite everything, I wasn’t stupid, he reached for the handle.

Then I remembered the necklace.

“Wait!”

He stopped again and I held out my hand. “At least give me my pendant.”

His eyes dropped to my open palm. “No.”

My chest tightened. “Please. It’s the only thing Mamma gave me this morning.”

“Then your mother should have thought twice before giving away stolen property.”

I froze. “Stolen?”

He turned. “Did I stutter?”

“My mother isn’t a thief!”

His expression darkened. “Don’t stand there defending people whose sins you know nothing about!”

His voice thundered through the room, I flinched so hard that my back struck the dressing table.

“Luca, lower your voice!”

“Why? Afraid someone will hear the truth about the perfect Romano family?”

“Stop it!”

“No, Fiona. You stop it! Stop standing there with those innocent eyes, acting like your family is made up of saints!”

Tears burned behind my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

“You don’t know my mother.”

His laugh was cruel. “I know enough.”

“No, you don’t!”

“Your mother is a thief, Fiona. And the fact that you can’t see it only proves how fucking naive you are!”

Something inside me snapped, my hand flew upward before I could think, I going to slap him at least I wanted to.

God, I wanted to wipe that cruel expression off his face but my hand stopped inches from his cheek, I couldn’t do it.

I stood there trembling, my palm suspended between us, tears spilling down my cheeks despite every desperate attempt to hold them back.

Luca didn’t move or flinch, he simply looked at my raised hand, then slowly lifted his eyes to mine.

“Go on, Fiona,” he said quietly. “Finish what you started.”