Page 110 of Stalking Ginevra

Mom’s eyes linger on my face, searching for some sign that I’m under distress. I force a smile, but it feels like a mask, fragile and on the verge of cracking.

“It’s okay.” I cut her off before she can speak. “Benito’s right. We need some time alone.”

She hesitates, her gaze fixed on me, searching for reassurance. I force another smile, pleading with her to understand. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

Mom pulls me into a tight hug, her arms wrapping around my middle with a desperate kind of protectiveness. “Call me if you need help,” she whispers, her voice trembling. “I mean it.”

Benito stands close enough to hear my racing heart. I nod against her shoulder, urging her to go, even though every instinct screams for her to take me out of this gilded cage.

Finally, she pulls back, her eyes scanning my face again as if trying to memorize every detail. With a reluctant sigh, she releases her grip and walks toward the door. Her steps are slow as if giving me the chance to change my mind.

I swallow back the urge to beg her not to leave, forcing myself to stay strong. This is my burden, not hers.

When Mom reaches the door, she lingers for several heartbeats. I glance at Benito, who smirks. “Ginevra is safest with me.”

Mom freezes, her features flickering with confusion.

Before she can ask what he means, Benito strides to the door and opens it, guiding her out with a gentle hand on the small of her back.

As she tumbles into the hallway, the door closes with a soft click, sealing me in the room with my captor.

My throat thickens. Is this the moment he demands his conjugal rights?

FIFTY

BENITO

Ginevra storms across the suite, her eyes blazing. I would believe in her righteous fury if her fists weren’t clenched so tightly around the collar of the robe. She stops out of arm’s reach, panting hard, and I can practically see a complaint bubbling up inside her chest.

“You’re treating me like a prisoner.”

I raise a brow, daring her to elaborate.

“Well, you’ve left me with nothing but this robe!”

A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. I take a slow step forward, enjoying the way she stiffens.

“If you have complaints about the robe, I could always take it away.” I drawl.

She flinches, her arms crossing over her chest. Sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows, coloring her flyways a vibrant shade of amber. I stare down at my beautiful Ginevra, letting her anger feed my satisfaction. Is my little princess dissatisfied? Her torment hasn’t even begun.

With another step, I close the gap until our bodies mingle, the air crackling with tension. She stiffens but doesn’t retreat.Her breaths come in shallow, uneven bursts, and the resistance in her eyes flickers like a dying candle. She fights to hold on to her courage, but the way her gaze flits away before snapping back tells me it's waning.

I lean in, just enough for her to feel the heat of my breath against her skin, and I savor the fine cracks in her composure.

She’s trying so hard to stay strong, to stand her ground, but there’s no hiding her helplessness. Ginevra is a trapped queen in a game I’ve already won. Watching her struggle to keep control is almost as satisfying as the victory itself.

“Having second thoughts?” I ask, lowering my voice an octave.

Her breath quickens, her lips press into a thin line. I let the silence linger, enjoying her barely concealed frustration.

“I never wanted to leave you, but my dad forced me to break our engagement,” she finally says.

Her words reverberate through my skull, and everything freezes. I stare into those defiant gray eyes, my mind racing. Why the hell would I believe the words of a woman who would try to manipulate an unknown stalker into committing murder?

Anger, sharp and consuming, flares in my chest, and my vision narrows to my treacherous little siren. Even if she’s telling the truth, she still let her father tear us apart.

She knew trouble was coming to the Montesano family, yet she kept her mouth shut.

---