Chapter 18
MILENE’S POV
I laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about my family, particularly Michael. He was always extremely protective of me.
What if he tried to fight Nicolas and got himself killed! I wanted to be rescued, but not if it meant losing Michael. I’d rather stay here, suffering through Nicolas’s games, than
see my
brother get hurt.
I couldn’t forget the way Michael looked at me when Nicolas held a knife to my skin. That look hurt me far more than the cut itself. Still, the cut had told me that Nicolas had a weakness. He really wasn’t as unbothered as he pretends to be. It had something to do with his scars and his brothers
I heard footsteps outside my door, followed by a knock. I sat up, surprised. No one had ever knocked before.
The door opened suddenly and I stood immediately as a young woman walked in. She had dark hair and eyes, and she wore a red dress. She was shorter than me and was probably the reason why the clothes Nicolas had given me didn’t fit quite right. Instead of ending at my ankles, my long gown flowed down to my knees. I instantly recognized her even though I didn’t know her personally. Everyone in our world knew her name.
“Kiara Vitiello,” I said. She was the Famiglia woman forced to marry into the Russo family. Everyone had talked about it when it happened. I’d felt sorry for her, though she didn’t look like she needed or wanted anyone’s pity.
“Kiara Russo now, but yes, that’s me.” She looked behind her, frowning. 1 followed her gaze and saw Damien Russo standing in the doorway:
“You don’t have to stay. Milene and I are just going to talk. I’m not a threat to her,” she said.
Damien didn’t budge. Maybe he thought I’d try to use Kiara as a shield to escape. It wasn’t a bad idea, but I didn’t have the nerve to risk it. One look at Damien’s cold face was enough to convince me not to try anything
sharp eyes fixed on me. “If you harm her, I’ll make sure you will regret it.
“I will stay,” he said, walking inside and leaning against the wall. His si
Kiara gave me an apologetic look before stepping closer to Damien and whispering something I couldn’t hear. His face didn’t change, but he shook his head once. She sighed and turned back to me.
“I’m sorry. He’s very protective,” she said, giving me a small smile.
I looked at Damien. Well that’s obvious.”
His expression stayed blank, which was almost worse than Nicolas’s twisted smirks. Nicolas was brutal, but at least he showed what he was feeling Damien was cold and unreadable, which made him even scarier.
Kiara held out her hand. “Call me Kiara.”
After a moment, I shook it “Milene.”
She looked at my injured arm and apologized on Nicolas’s behalf. At least she seemed disgusted by what Nicolas had done to me.
“I don’t want your apology. All I want is to see Nicolas dead at my feet. I looked at Damien, hoping for a reaction, but he didn’t flinch. His lack of reaction made me nervous. I would have to make sure he wasn’t around if I ever tried to run away. As Kiara sat on the bed’s edge and smoothed her clothes, her eyes widened a little. “You’d have to wait in line because they’re a lot of people want the same thing”
I smirked a liule. “Are you one of them?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not
“Then it’s him hurting you,” I said, nodding at her husband. For the first time, something flickered in Damien’s cold eyes.
Kiara glanced at him, and a small, unexpected smile curved her lips. “Damien would never hurt me. He’s my husband.”
She sounded honest, maybe even in love. I’d heard what had happened to her family. Maybe she was just grateful for the way things had turned
DUL
“What do you want?” I asked finally
*1 thought you might like
ne company,” she said.
“I want to go home. I want to see my family. I want Nicolas to stop his cruel games,” I snapped. I didn’t mean to take it out on her, but I couldn’t
hold back
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1:14 PM c c
Chapter 18
She nodded. “I understand.”
“You’re not here to help me, though. You’re loyal to the Russos
Her gaze shifted to Damien again. “I am. They are my family now.
I looked away, thinking about Michael and the rest of my family. My heart clenched painfully.
Then Kiara surprised me. She leaned in close, and even Damien tensed. I didn’t pull back as she whispered, “These men are brutal, but they aren’t all bad. I think you can get through to Nicolas.” I looked at her with disbelief on my face and she continued by saying.
“I’ll try to get permission for you to leave this room during the day. You don’t need to suffer more than necessary. Maybe we could sit in the garden.
I stared at her, unsure what to think. If she really believed I could get through to Nicolas Russo, then this life must have truly messed with her head.
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