“Marco Vitale, you really are despicable!”I raised my hand to slap him, but he caught my wrist midair, his grip firm, unyielding.“My principessa,” he whispered, softening his voice like velvet wrapping a blade, “just hear me out.”I narrowed my eyes, breath ragged. “…Fine. Talk.”He exhaled sharply. “I wasn’t supposed to be here. I was running away from an arranged marriage when fate threw you in my path. Saving you cost me that escape. That’s why I asked you to play the role of my girlfriend—so I could keep the vultures off my back.”I froze, memories surfacing—the night I had collapsed, his arms catching me, the sterile scent of the hospital room he had arranged for me, the quiet way he had stayed until I woke.“So all this,” I asked slowly, “is just an act? You needed me to get rid of a fiancée you didn’t want?”His grin was wicked, boyish even. “Exactly. And you played the part flawlessly.”I wanted to scoff, but the sincerity in his gaze disarmed me. Against my better judgment,
Magbasa pa
Mag-log in
