Page 26 of Pretty Poison

“I don’t like this,” I admit with a whisper.

“You don’t like what?” He steps forward, treading closer to me with slow, careful movements.

“I don’t like being here, in your room. It feels… weird.”

“You’re not in my room,” he says, sarcasm lacing his tone. “You’re outside it.” A soft laugh escapes me as I roll my eyes. “But I know what you mean. You’ll get used to it. We both will.”

I shake my head, releasing a shaky breath. “I won’t ever get used to this, Dario. Like you said, I’ll never be a part of your family. I’m the outcast here, the black sheep of this arrangement. My father doesn’t want me and neither do you. Where does that leave me, exactly?”

“Liana,” he says in a quiet voice, moving closer, “I didn’t mean it like that. I was stressed and you were the only person available to take it out on. While we’re married, you’ll always be a part of this family. My mother likes you more than she ever did Natalia,which means you’re stuck with us anyway. If we don’t work out, she will be there for you no matter what, as will everyone else, I guarantee it.”

“Natalia?” I ask, recoiling at the mention of her name.

He sighs, taking one step backward. “That’s a story for another time.”

I offer a brave face, walking past him into the bathroom. “I’ll figure out the shower,” I say, my hand on the side of the door. “I’ll go back to my room when I’m done.”

“Okay,” he replies with a nod of his head. “I’m only a message away if you need help with anything.” He waves his phone in the air before flashing his devilishly handsome smile and disappearing into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Finally, I close and lock the bathroom door, and release a pent-up breath of relief.

His face was enough for me to understand who Natalia was to him. She was me before me. I’m here to replace her. I’m a stand-in wife for the one he lost. What happened to her is unbeknownst to me, but whatever it was, I’m here to fill that hole now.

∞∞∞

After finishing up in the shower, I grab my things and return to my room, locking the door behind me.

I’ve never had such a depressing shower. Knowing I was washing myself where they could’ve showered together was disturbing. I’m her replacement, taking her rightful spot in his house, shower and family. I shouldn’t be here; she should. Wherevershe is right now, she’s probably laughing, happy that she got out and that someone else—me—has taken her place in this fucked-up situation.

“Oh good, you’re done.” His voice startles me and I spin around to spot Dario sitting on the single lounge chair in the corner of the room. “We should talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I respond with a fake smile. “I appreciate the shower, though. Thank you for that.”

“Liana, you can’t run away from the things that make you uncomfortable. I don’t know how things worked at home for you, but here, we talk about our stress or discomfort without the added pressure of rejection. Mentioning Natalia clearly upset you—”

“I’m fine,” I interject. “Whoever you associated yourself with or were involved with before me should be none of my business—itisnone of my business.”

“I have very few secrets, most of them people would kill to find out about, but Natalia? She’s not a secret. She’s a part of my past. So do it, Liana, ask me about her. Let me prove you can trust me.”

“I don’t need to know about the woman I’ve replaced,” I scoff. “Like I said, who you used to be with isn’t my concern. Your business isn’t my business.”

“You’re right, you did replace her,” he starts, ignoring me, “but she died. If you’re worried that she’ll come back—”

“You think I’m worried that some dead woman will come back and take my spot?” I practically laugh the words out. “Her death put me in this position. I don’t belong here, Dario. You know it, I know it—hell, everyone fucking knows it. This life isn’t for me. I’m not supposed to be here.”

“What’s wrong, Liana? You were stubborn and kept yourself from feeling anything but disgust for me at the beginning. Then, you changed and wanted to play the part, and now… I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s exhausting. I’m trying to help you and you’re pushing me away.”

“I don’t need you to help me, Dario… I need you to accept that sometimes, shit is difficult to come around to. This change hasn’t been easy and knowing that I’ve replaced a dead woman makes it all that much harder.” I take a minute to breathe and gather some sense of composure. “How did she die, huh? Was it natural causes or a freak accident? A family gene that went amiss for years? Or maybe, just maybe it was your fault. Did your enemies get to her because they couldn’t get to you? That sounds the most plausible.”

“That’s enough, Liana,” his volume increasing with each word, and hitting me like a thousand simultaneous needle pricks. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but I need you to stop overthinking it. Putting distance between yourself and what’s expected of you won’t change anything. You’re a grown-ass woman, for fuck’s sake, act like it.”

With that, he storms past me and pulls at the door, the lock preventing it from opening. Instead of turning the lock, he yanks hard and forces the door open, slamming it behind him.

The sound sends a shiver down my spine, and my body flinches, instant regret flowing through me like a river.

I overstepped the boundaries by a fucking mile. Dragging that poor woman through the mud wasn’t the solution to my problem, but the second I said it, there was no backtracking. I have to own it, while the hatred of my own venom eats away at me.

Rubbing my face like it’ll refresh me, I quickly dry off and put on a fresh change of comfortable clothes before heading downstairs to grab a snack.

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