Page 205 of Modern Romance June 2025 1-4

‘I told Enzo what happened the very next day. He was furious and hurt. And…and I knew.’

‘Knew what?’

Emilio looked her in the eye, conviction in every line of his body. ‘The kind of man I was. There was always a reason my father treated me the way he did, after all. He saw how loathsome I was before anyone else.’

Jasmine took a step towards him. ‘Emilio.’Thatwasn’t true, Emilio was kind, caring…but what kind of man did something like that? He’d betrayed his family. Jasmine knew exactly how that betrayal hurt. How much worse would it have been, coming from a sibling?

‘Enzo broke up with Gia and offered to pay her to leave.’

‘Why would he need to pay her?’

‘To get rid of her. So none of us would see her again. I was angry,belleza, so angry. The insult of it—as if money could make her feelings disappear. But I was the fool.’

‘What happened?’

‘I offered to leave with her, and she rejected me. She wanted the money and fame. Between Enzo and I, she’d had everything she wanted. The passion and support from me, the power and wealth from him.’

Emilio’s shoulders sagged and he moved to sit in the arm chair furthest from Jasmine. She hated that she was relieved by the distance. Her heart broke for him, but it didn’t change the despicable thing he’d done. ‘I was angry at Enzo for making her leave and angry at Gia for choosing the money. Angry at myself for whatIdid.’

‘That’s why Enzo hates you. Why you didn’t want him to know we were in Perlano. We were inhishome.’

‘That was my home too, Jasmine.’

‘Was, Emilio.’ Rooted to the spot, Jasmine searched the room, as though the beautifully decorated walls could offer her some answers. She shook her head. ‘What kind of man sleeps with his brother’s fiancée?’

What kind of man sat in New York for years and never apologised to his brother? Was that the kind of man she wanted raising their child?

‘Don’t you think I’ve asked myself that same question?’ Emilio snapped. ‘Do you think it’s easy to live with what I’ve done? I think about it every day, Jasmine. Every day! I workso hardto be better. Less impulsive. After that night, I never drank more than single drink at any time.’

‘You ordered a second drink at the club.’

‘Did I drink it?’ he fired back at her.

No; no he hadn’t. He’d played with it. He’d flirted with her. But he hadn’t drunk it.

‘I removed every temptation to be impulsive. I own no fast cars. I’m driven almost everywhere so I’m not tempted to speed. It’s responsible if I choose to have a drink. I removed myself from the possibility of a partner and a family. I leaned into a different lifestyle. One that I had initially chosen to act out against my father, but then I realised fleeting partners were a calculated risk that kept everyone safe. No relationships meant no one could be hurt by my actions, and I wouldn’t have to deal with yet another person rejecting me.’

‘So you were at the club on the prowl.’

‘Not that night. That night I was there just for an escape. Then I saw you,belleza, and I couldn’t look away.’

The day when Richard had left her for Zara: her fiancé and the woman who’d been as close as a sister to her. Closer, even. Two people she’d loved and trusted. It was amazing to Jasmine that she could have learned a lesson so thoroughly and yet still needed to relearn it.

‘I should never have trusted you,’ she said softly. ‘You don’t trust yourself! Why did you ever ask me to?’ This time she couldn’t stop her eyes from welling up. Especially when she thought back to how attentive Emilio had been. How he had stepped up for their child. Thought of the passion he ignited in her. But she couldn’t forgive the lies. She couldn’t forgive this lie.

‘Belleza, please.’ He tried to stand up from his chair, but she stopped him.

‘Don’t call me that. Don’t touch me. I regreteverything, Emilio. I regret walking into that club. I regret telling you about our baby because you…’ Her breath caught in her throat, making her choke on the words. ‘You made me think I could be wrong. You made think maybe giving you a chance wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Never again! I willnever. Trust. Again. Andyoudid that.’

‘Jasmine.’

‘You knew about my father. You knew about Richard and Zara, and so you wilfully kept a secret for your own sake!’

Jasmine tried to steady her breath but she couldn’t. What Emilio had done was horrible. He’d betrayed his brother and had never atoned. Maybe, if he had been honest from the start, things would have been different. Maybe she wouldn’t have allowed herself to get so close. Or maybe she would have found it in her to work past it.

But that wasn’t what had happened. He’d lied to her every day that they’d been together. He’d made that choice, knowing how important honesty was to her. He’d lied for his own selfish wants.

How could she be with someone like that? How could she trust him again?

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