Page 202 of Sinful Lies

He cursed under his breath, his hand running through his hair.

I told him how revenge had become my purpose, my only reason to keep going.

“Why did you start working for me?”

A faint smile tugged at my lips. “I did some digging into New York’s elites, and your name came up. Angelo Lazzio—most eligible bachelor, part of the big three. I was curious, so I dug deeper and found out about the families. I knew working for you would give me access to the world I needed to tear down.”

He nodded, his gaze never leaving me.

I told him how, over the years, I’d built a web of information about the New York elite, how I had dirt on every single one of them.

And then I told him the truth—the part I hadn’t expected.

Somewhere along the way, I’d fallen for him.

“When I first met you, I thought you were cold, controlling… attractive,” I said softly, my hand falling to his chest. “Then, the more time I spent with you, the more I became… drawn to you. I remember the night you got me out of jail, carried me home, and thought,I wish this man would take me to his bed. But I quickly shook that thought away.”

My throat tightened, words clogging up as my eyes burned.

Come on, Jade. You can do this.

“I fought so,sohard not to let you in, Angelo. To keep you out of my heart, to force you out of my head,” I whispered, my voice breaking as I clenched my fists in my lap. “But then, last year on Christmas night, I looked through your computer. I found an email—about explosives. And for me, the puzzle finally clicked. It was you…”

The air in the room grew thick, suffocating me.

Before I could spill any more of my tangled thoughts, he cut me off.

“This was my hacking email address, Jade,” he said. “The email you found wasn’t mine. It was from the contractors to James Greg—the night before he gave the signal to turn them on.”

My breath faltered, my chest tightening as if the truth itself was strangling me.

“All it would’ve taken was one word. Onefuckingword, Jade. I would’ve helped you. I would’ve torn the world apart for you if you’d just—” His words died, and he leaned back in the chair, dragging a hand over his face.

The weight of his disappointment crushed me more than any shout ever could.

Tears burned my cheeks, but I didn’t bother wiping them away.

“Life has taught me that trust is a weapon, Angelo,” I whispered. “One that can always be used against you. I couldn’t… I couldn’t take the chance. I couldn’t have known you were innocent.”

His eyes locked on mine, heavy with betrayal so sharp it felt like a dagger twisting in my chest.

Then, out of nowhere, his hands reached behind my neck, and I sucked in a shaky breath as he clasped my necklace back in place.

My fingers found it instantly.

“My therapist gave me this necklace,” I sniffled, a weak chuckle slipping past my lips. “Stella had one just like it—Mama bought it for her birthday. I always loved it. When Dr. Morano saw a picture of Stella wearing hers, she gave me this one. Said it was meant to represent hope,” I murmured, the edges of a bittersweet smile tugging at my lips. “I added a charm for my papa too.”

A shiver ran down my arm.

Pain had been my constant for the last decade—pain, sadness, and too much self-loathing. A part of me feared that now, after reaching the goal I’d been chasing, I’d fall back into my demons and drown in it all over again.

“I don’t expect you to ever forgive me, or forget.” My eyes met his, steady but weighed down with regret. “But I need you to know… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for using everything you gave me against you. For making you trust me. For letting you fall in love with me. I’m so,sosorry, Angelo.”

He ran his tongue across his teeth, eyes never leaving mine, his silence deafening.

His fingers grazed my cheek before sliding down to grip my neck, pressing against my pulse. I pressed my hands flat against his chest to steady myself, but it was pointless—every inch of mewas pulled into him, unable to escape the heat that radiated off his skin.

“When I pulled you out of jail on your birthday, and heard about that yoga instructor, I lost it. Found him at his place after the ER. Shot him cold. Same with Nathan Simons, and every other asshole you entertained over the years.” His grip tightened ever so slightly around my neck. “You wanna know why?”

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