“Yeah,” I stepped closer. “But you did it for selfish reasons. Youwantedher to walk away from me.”
He didn’t deny it.
Just stood there, hands in his pockets, lips pressed into a hard line.
“You crossed a line,” I said, low now. “And for what? A little moral superiority?”
“No,” he said finally. “Perché mi importa di lei.”
Silence.
“Excuse me?”
He met my gaze now. “I care about her, Theodore. And not just because she’s your girlfriend. You’ve been fucking this up since the day she landed. You take her for granted, and you lie.”
“It’s not your—”
“You had that girl in your bed, man.” His voice rose now. “Maybe nothing happened, but you know exactly how thatlooked. And instead of owning it like a man, you tried to spin it.”
“Don’t act like you’re doing this for Carmen.” I stepped into his space now, chest to chest. A small crowd gathered beyond the glass window, and I knew I wouldn’t get away with beating the fuck out of him without any witnesses. So I dropped my voice a few decibels.
“You want her. That’s what this is.”
He didn’t flinch.
“Yeah,” he said, unapologetically. “I do.”
I stared at him, blood pounding in my ears. If he’d swung, I would’ve killed him. If he’d looked smug, I might’ve thrown him through the glass wall.
But he just stood there. Vince didn’t budge. His voice was cold, unshaken.
“Look. I don’t regret what I did. I’d do it again. Because you don’t deserve her.”
I nodded slowly.
“I know, I don’t.” My eyes stayed locked on his. “But she’s mine, nonetheless.”
His jaw flexed.
“She shouldn’t be. We should be together. But she’s too scared to end things with you. When I told her how I felt the night of the ball, she became guarded, as if she was scared of you. It’s like you got mind control over her, and she can’t see when there is a better option for her.”
I tilted my head, the words rolling around in my mind like glass marbles.
He told her he had feelings for her the night of the ball.Interesting.
“You think I’m holding her back… from you?”
Vince’s stare hardened.
“Don’t act dense.”
A slow smile spread across my face, and that turned into a full-blown laugh. All that bullshit about Carmen only being with me because she’d settled now turns into she’s with me ‘cause I got mind control over her?
I got control all right, just not the kind he’s thinking.
But don’t worry, I’ll show him.
“How about this?” I said calmly. “I’ll go home tonight and talk to Carmen. If she decides she’d rather be with you… I’ll let her call you from my phone.”
