Page 8 of Blood Heir

She grabs Emilia by the hair.

Yanks her back and shoves her away with a force that stuns everyone in the courtyard.

Fioretta turns to me, wild-eyed. “Aren’t you my husband?” she snaps. “Why is she on you?”

Emilia stumbles, stunned. So am I.

Fioretta never reacted. Not to Emilia’s provocations. Not to her smirks, her games, her proximity. She was composed. Chillingly so.

But this?

This version doesn’t hold back.

“Fee?” Emilia says in breathy disbelief. “Is that you? Oh, my God—” She closes the gap and wraps her arms around Fioretta’s shoulders in a sudden, cloying embrace. “We all missed you so much.”

Fioretta stands stiff. She looks at me over Emilia’s shoulder.

“Who is she?”

Emilia looks at her and then at me, and then at her again.

I inhale slowly. “We’ll talk about that later.”

I motion to the guards to escort her upstairs.

I turn toward Emilia to pull her away—but then her voice cuts through the air behind me.

“I mean, you’re my husband, right?” Fioretta calls, voice rising. “Then you’ll lead me to my room. You’ll explain things to me until I understand. Or I’ll be on my way out.”

Emilia’s mouth parts. The guards glance at one another.

And I stand completely still.

She continues. “You know what? Fuck you. I don’t need you.”

She turns to one of the guards, steps closer with wild confidence.

“You,” she says, pointing. “Lead me to my room. You look handsome enough. I’ll suck your dick as a reward. Get me a phone, too. I need to call someone to get me away from my jerk husband.”

The courtyard drops into complete silence.

The guard turns scarlet. His spine straightens.

Fioretta walks past me, calm, bare feet slick against the stone. She doesn’t even look back.

The guard hesitates, then leads her inside.

I watch her go.

She never cursed. Never raised her voice.

But she just did.

And I have no idea what this version of her will do next.

^^^^

In my office, the fire burns low in the hearth behind me. I pour a glass of water, not for thirst, just something to do with my hands while Emilia circles like a cat who knows the walls are too high to escape.

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