Page 186 of Ruins
He exhales. “It’s a strip club. Angelo and Santo own it.”
The air is sucked from my lungs.
I feel the tears pushing forward, but I refuse to let them fall. Not here. Not now.
“Take me home.”
I move toward the exit, but Luca steps in front of me, his voice low. “Vasilisa,whatdid she say?”
My hands curl into fists. “If you don’t take me home, I’ll ask Angelo to do it.”
Luca studies me, his jaw tight. Finally, he steps aside and follows me out.
The car ride is long, suffocating. The silence is only broken by the occasional sound of Luca typing on his phone at red lights. My own phone sits useless in my lap—I have no one to call. No one to turn to.
By the time we arrive, I barely register the guards ignoring me, Amelia’s wary gaze as I pass her, the quiet stillness of the house that has felt more like a prison than a home.
I should pack. I should leave.
But I have nowhere to go.
My parents are fugitives. My sister is far away. My phone, stripped of all contacts, is a cruel reminder of my isolation. Every friend I’ve made here? Loyal to Santo. And more than likely, every single one of themknew.
I am utterly and completely alone.
I push open the door to my bedroom—and stop cold. Santo sits at the edge of my bed, waiting.
“Santo, what are you doing here?” My voice is sharper than I intend, but I don’t bother hiding it.
His jaw tightens. “What?Home?”
“In my room is what I meant. But yes, also home,” I fire back, bristling at the audacity in his tone—like I’m the one intruding. “I’m surprised you aren’t working. Or atOpulent.” The venom in my voice is undeniable.
His brow furrows. “Opulent?”
I cross my arms. “Yes. Weren’t you there on our wedding night?”
He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t even move. His gaze stays locked onto mine, unreadable.
But Iseehim—disheveled, tired, a far cry from the put-together man I met months ago. His shirt hangs open, his knuckles are scabbed, dark circles shadow his eyes, and the stubble on his jaw is more than a couple of days old. He looks wrecked.
Good.
I refuse to let that sway me.
“You don’t have to answer,” I say breezily, striding past him toward the closet. “Rachel already let me know you went to see her.”
I yank out a suitcase and toss it onto the bed beside him. Still, he doesn’t react.
“Not going to deny it?”
“No.”
That’s all he says.No.
I see red.
My fingers curl into fists at my sides, but I don’t let them shake. Instead, I turn, standing in front of him, meeting his storm-dark gaze with fire.
