Page 156 of Bride By Initiation

"She's my beautifulfiglia," he says sadly.

She runs her hand through his hair. "Yes, but somehow she's learning bits and pieces. She should hear it from you rather than someone else."

He studies me.

My pulse races faster.

He finally says. "Finzia. She must be the one poisoning you."

"No, she's not!"

Dad grits through his teeth, "Her father was a disgusting Abruzzo. He stole my sister's life."

"How did he do that? You didn't even know she was dead until now!" I fume.

Another flare of pain erupts on his sharp features before the anger returns. He snarls, "He impregnated her. He made her fall in love with him. He made her part of that family—a family where she couldn't even be honest about the blood running through her veins!"

A tear falls down my cheek. I shake my head, asserting, "Not everybody's the enemy."

"You don't know who the enemies are," he snaps.

"But you always do?" I question.

He points at me. "You were not part of my past or that world. And I don't want you to have anything to do with it! Whoever's trying to pull you into it, I need to know."

I rise and lift my chin. "No one's pulling me into anything."

He turns toward Mom. "It has to be Sean."

Rage fills me. I explode, "That's not true! Sean does nothing but protect me, and for you to think anything different… Well, you should be ashamed of yourself."

"Zara, do not speak to your father that way," Mom scolds.

I turn to her. "You're just as bad as him. You cover up his secrets. You allow him to play the role of a traitor and then kill those who do exactly what he did."

"Zara!" Mom spouts.

Dad growls, "You don't know what traitors do."

"But what dowedo?" I ask.

"We?" he asks, pinning his dark gaze to mine.

I freeze.

"My beautifulfiglia, what have you done?" His voice is tinged with more than a little fear.

My chest tightens. I shake my head, lying, "Nothing."

There's something in Dad's eyes.

He knows I've killed people.

"Zara." He reaches for my hand, but I pull it back.

"I have to go." I stand and rush toward the door.

He follows me, Mom right behind him, demanding, "Zara, I want to know what you meant."

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