Page 58 of Reckless Games

"I had no choice," I whispered.

"Why the fuck did you take the bullet? You could have dodged it! I knew you could!" His fury intensified, eyes burning with the heat of the real reason behind his pain.So he didn’t care that I betrayed him?

"I deserved it. After everything I did, I deserved it," I confessed, my voice cracking with the weight of my guilt.

"And what? Just die on me? Make me the fucking villain? Why the fuck did you do it? You could have told me!" His frustration made him clench his fist.

"I did what I did. I'm no saint. I did betray you, and that’s the end of the story," I admitted, tears streaming down my face.

"Then why did you not kill me? Hm? You don'tmiss, Angela. Isn’t that what you said? Then why the hell didn't you shoot me when you had the chance?” I stayed silent. Do you even realize how much those words have haunted me for months?” His voice thundered, shaking with a raw intensity that echoed through the alley. I stood there, speechless, unable to find words to match the storm brewing in his eyes. “Do you haveany idea what I went through every single day, searching for you like a madman, hoping against all odds that somehow you were still alive? Do you understand the torment of being labeled delusional by everyone around me, for clinging to the hope that you might miraculously appear before me one day?” His voice cracked on the last words, the weight of his emotions crashing down like a tidal wave. "Show me," his demand cut through the air sharp and urgent, fueled by a mix of anger and desperation that left no room for argument.

"What...?" I barely managed to utter before he grabbed my shirt collar and yanked the fabric down popping the first two buttons to expose my cleavage, his eyes fixating on the bullet scar at its center.

"Fuck! Fucking hell!" He banged his hand on the wall. "You could have fucking died!"

"And I wanted to! You think I wanted to live with the burden of what I fucking did?" I shouted back, my own anger rising to meet his.

"Why? I need to hear it! Fucking tell me. Please." His voice cracked, a plea hidden beneath the rage. “You said you trusted me! You could’ve told me whatever that bastard made you do. Then why didn’t you?”

"Because it was my mistake to care when I was not supposed to! I cared! And that was my sin. I broke the only rule I wasn't supposed to. I knew I had to pay for it sooner or later,’’ I sniffed. “Just finish this, please. And this time, aim for the head."

"You make me so mad... I... fuck!" He ran a hand through his hair.

"Don't do this. Either kill me or let me go." I was tired of the constant running and hiding.

"I can't. Want to fucking know why? You are my wife. I don't care if we're not married yet. You were my fucking wife the day I put the ring on you. You were my fucking wife the first dayI set eyes on you. The moment I saw you, I owned you. I told you, Angel, once you gave yourself to me, there was no going back. And now that you've made the biggest mistake of your life, you need to fucking pay."

"I said you could kill—"

"You will marry me. Today. Right now!" He declared fiercely. I froze, digesting his words.

"You are not thinking this through. I betrayed you. You don't give second chances, Enzo. It's not you."

"Yes, it's not me! I've lost my mind, blaming myself for the last fucking six months that I killed you. You died because of me. I can't bear the thought, Angela! Even though everyone was screaming at me that you died, my heart said otherwise. I wasn’t ready to believe that you could leave me so easily. My heart knew you were still here. I just had to look harder,” I gaped at him, not finding any words. “I fucking love you, Angela Thompson! I'm crazily, obsessively, most fucking dangerously, and psychopathically in love with you! Do you even realize what I went through when I couldn't find your body in the lake? I died a million deaths there, Angela! The chills I get when I realize that this fucking mark on your chest—” he jabbed a finger where the scar was, “it was given by me. If it hadn't missed your heart by a few centimeters, I could have killed you! I could have takenmy own life!" I remained silent, his words washing over me like a sudden revelation, though the intensity of his love was nothing new to me.

"I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you." I shook my head while my voice was a broken whisper.

"Since you betrayed me, I'm the one who's going to decide what you deserve. And you deserve to be mine. Only mine. And just to make it clear, I am not asking."

"Enzo—" I tried to protest, but he cut me off with a fierce, desperate kiss.

"Enough talking." He continued to kiss me, his lips demanding, his hands framing my face. "I love you. I fucking love you, Angela. I don't care about anything else. Just you.Just you."

"I love you too, Enzo," I cried, the words spilling out between sobs. "I'm so fucking sorry! And I love you so much, gosh, it hurts!"

"Just keep kissing me!" he commanded, and I complied eagerly, feeling his strong arms enveloping me as he lifted me up, my legs instinctively wrapping around him. He pressed me gently against the wall, deepening the kiss with a fervor that spoke of longing and relief intertwined. And just for that moment, I clung onto him, hoping to never wake up from this dream.

***

Chapter 34

Angela

Lorenzo kicked open the door to his room, eyes blazing with desire. The force of his movements sent a potent blend of fear and anticipation coiling in my stomach. The door slammed shut behind us.

He pressed me against the wall with a rough urgency. His hands gripped my wrists and pinned them above my head. His eyes, dark and intense, locked onto mine, conveying a raw, unspoken need that took my breath away. He leaned in, his lips crashing into mine with a fervor that was both punishing and possessive.

I gasped into his mouth, the kiss fierce and consuming, leaving me dizzy with a heady mix of emotions. His hands roamed my body with a rough determination, tugging at my clothes, each touch igniting a fire beneath my skin. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer, feeling the hard planes of his body pressed against mine.

---