All I can do is give a jerky nod. I loathe to claim him that way—maybe as much as he loathes to think of me like his sister—but it’s the unfortunate reality.
“It’s the only reason I’m alive.” I exhale hard, falling back in my chair. “Enzo couldn’t go against Matteo, because Matteo was don then. He could only turn his anger on my mother. He blamed her, accused her of seducing Matteo, and demanded she get an abortion or face death for ‘cheating’ on him. But Matteo wouldn’t hear of it. He refused to lethis seedbe eliminated.”
And that’s my poisonous secret. I’m a rape baby. The product of my piece of shit sperm donor forcing himself on my mother.
That’s the only reason I’m here.
Because a horrible man committed a crime against my mother.
Because Matteo De Luca violated her.
Nobody reacts. The deafening silence churns my stomach, so I force myself to keep talking to ease the discomfort.
“It devastated me.” I close my eyes for a second. “Until then, I didn’t understand just how terrible our family is.” The faces of other De Lucas trail past in my mind, each souring my mood even further. Another deep breath. “Until my mom got sick, I didn’t even know they’d been selling her paintings all these years. Every time someone came to pick one up from her studio, she would tell me they were being taken down to the storage room for safe keeping.”
When I think of all my mother did to protect me from the truth, tears fall down my cheeks and drip right off my chin. Her life was so hard, yet she managed to provide the normalcy and joy of a healthy childhood. Despite the circumstances behind my existence, she never made me feel unwanted or unloved.
As far as I’m concerned, my mom was a saint, and Matteo was a demon. If hell exists, I know he’s down there, hopefully experiencing excruciating pain.
“When she got sick, and suddenly the family moneymaker was out of commission, Enzo came to me and told me that I’d need to start painting in my mother’s place. To help the family. That’s when I learned they’d been exploiting her all that time, and that they planned to use me exactly the same way.”
“What changed?” Shane’s question surprises me enough that I lift my head. “A couple of weeks ago, you were on the auctionblock. You’re clearly an asset to the De Luca family, so why did Leo decide to sell you?”
“Leo hates me and wants me dead,” I say, point-blank. “He’s been saying that since before I can remember.”
“Does he know about the history between your parents?” I start at Rory’s question. His voice is off, and when I brave a peek at him, his face is pale, his jaw clenched tight. He looks ready to rip someone’s head off. Whether it’s mine or Leo’s is anyone’s guess.
I nod slowly. “I think he’s known from the very beginning. I think…he hated me before I was even born. To him, I’m just a grotesque reminder of our family history. I suspect that he, like Enzo, was against Matteo’s decision to let my mother and me live, and my whole life he’s vowed to get rid of me one day. I didn’t know when or how he might try, but the auction was his moment, I suppose.”
“So he was happy giving up a solid income stream, just because you’re his half-sister?” Shane probes, crossing his legs. “Why would he do that when he could simply keep you as a prisoner for the rest of your life?”
It’s a solid question.
I shrug. “Maybe the money he was going to get from selling me to the highest bidder made it worthwhile.” I sag into the chair, exhausted. “Honestly, I think getting rid of me was at the top of his priority list. He was just waiting to come into power, and with Matteo and Enzo gone, this was his first chance to make good on his promise to make me disappear.”
Shane’s phone shrieks, interrupting my tragic saga. “Tell me,” he demands into the device.
Based on the grim line his mouth forms, whatever he hears isn’t good news. “When?” His knuckles turn white. “I’ll send someone out.”
When he hangs up, everyone is staring at him.
My gut dives down to my toes.
“What is it?” Finn asks.
“Fire.” Shane’s voice is grim. “Madden is burning.”
A second passes before the room explodes into motion. Shane barks orders while I just watch with my heart in my throat.
Rory races from the room without so much as a glance in my direction.
Shane addresses me. “Back to your room. If I find you wandering anywhere else, you’ll wish I’d sent you back to Leo.” Despite the threat, his voice isn’t as harsh as earlier.
I scramble to my feet. “I understand.”
I hurry to do his bidding, rushing down the hallway. I want to reach the privacy of my room before I completely break down.
While curled on the bed, choking on sobs, nausea crashes over me.
