Chapter 26
Evelyn
“Ihave something for you, dolcezza.”
Even as Massimo’s deep voice makes me shiver with desire, unease stirs.
I turn to face him, tugging the fluffy white robe more tightly around myself like armor.
The mansion where we’re staying in the small town on the Colombia-Ecuador border is overwhelmingly ostentatious, especially in contrast to the impoverished neighborhoods we passed during the short drive from the landing strip in the jungle.
Massimo has boasted about his wealth many times, possibly trying to impress me. But money has only ever been a weapon in my experience, a tool for control. Already, my life has spun out of my control. I can’t bear to slip even further into chaos.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I say quickly, squaring my shoulders.
I might be physically weaker than Massimo, but I know how to provide for myself, to pay my own way. As an adult, I’ve always been careful not to take more than I contribute.
He gives me a lazy, self-satisfied smile. “I know I didn’t have to. I don’t have to do anything. I can afford to do anything I want, and I want to spoil you.”
My stomach twists, and I straighten my spine.
I summon up my willpower and focus on his stunning eyes, which are glittering with anticipation.
They’re gorgeous enough to entrance me, so I manage to avoid staring at his bare, sculpted chest. I studiously ignore the fine dusting of dark hair that trails down his abs to disappear beneath a plush white towel that’s slung low over his hips, accentuating the defined V that draws my attention to his…
I swallow hard and stop thinking about sex.
I lose control entirely when his masterful hands caress my body, bringing me transcendent pleasure.
While that sweet bliss provides ecstatic release—a sense of freedom and connection I’ve never known before—financial control is another matter entirely. The prospect sours my budding lust.
His cocky smile remains fixed in place. “I bought it for you to wear tonight. And every night. My mark on your neck will fade, but I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
I take a small step back. Whatever it is, it’ll be a sign of ownership. Of control. Not just for others to see, but for me as well.
I’ll never be able to repay him for the expensive clothes he’s already purchased for me. Now, he wants me to be further indebted to him.
Before I summon another protest, he picks up a large jewelry box covered in black velvet. I’d been so obsessed with studying his masculine perfection that I hadn’t noticed it resting on the nightstand.
“Massimo…” I trail off when he snaps open the lid.
The way the light refracts off the diamonds is sharp enough to cut, the glittering gems seeming to pierce my chest with every shimmering ray.
A massive teardrop diamond is nestled in the center of the box, cushioned by cream silk.
In place of the golden links of a chain, dozens of smaller round diamonds curve in elegant lines from the clasp that would sit at the nape of my neck.
Each of them is twice as large as my engagement ring had been.
“Do you like it?” he prompts when I don’t say anything; I’m too stunned by the beauty and exquisite pain of the gems to fully process my emotions.
“It’s too much.” I manage to breathe.
He cocks his head at me, a furrow between his dark brows. “Nothing is too much for you.”
I shake my head, staring at the diamonds as though they’ve entranced me with their awful beauty.
“I don’t want to owe you anything.”
A small frown tugs at his lips. “You’ve said that before. I don’t expect anything in return for this. I want you to wear it for me. I want everyone to see how I provide for my woman. I know your value, and they will all see how I treasure you. They will know to keep their fucking distance.”
I shake my head again, and his expression darkens.
I lick my dry lips. “That’s not the problem here.”
“Then what is wrong?” he demands. “You think I’m giving you this because I want you to owe me something? Is that the kind of man you think I am?”
“No!” My reply is immediate and vehement, drawn from my soul before I fully mull it over. “It’s just… I have a hard time accepting these gifts from you. They make me uncomfortable.”
Some of the darkness ebbs from his eyes, and he places the jewelry box back on the nightstand without closing it. The diamonds continue to wink at me, taunting me. I keep my attention on him.
He steps toward me, closing the small distance I’ve created between us. His hand cups my cheek, his thumb hooking beneath my jaw to capture my face in his gentle grip.
“Who made you feel unworthy?” Despite the careful way he handles me, his voice is rough with anger.
I draw in a shuddering breath. How does he see me so clearly?
I spent years with George, and he never asked about my stepfather’s financial abuse.
An awful realization buds at the back of my mind.
George never commented on it, but I told him about my childhood.
And once we graduated college and started working, he made subtle comments about our contributions to the budget.
He had the final say on how we spent our funds because he earned more than I did.
My eyes sting as another layer of his betrayal dawns on me. He took one of my most vulnerable secrets and used it against me. He knew that I feared taking more than I earned, and he leveraged that to curtail my financial choices.
Massimo brushes a tear from my cheek before it falls. His muscles ripple with the force of his suppressed rage.
“Who are these tears for?” he demands.
I swallow against the lump in my throat. I owe him an explanation. Massimo is hurt by my implication that he’s giving me gifts to control me. He’s a proud man, and he’s clawed his way up from nothing. He’s quite literally fought for every penny, and now he’s wealthy.
He might be able to see into my soul, but I see into his as well. He wants to show off that wealth because it means power.
Untouchable. Everything he’s ever done has been to ensure his safety and security. Signs of his wealth adorning me will provide me with security as well. No one will dare to touch me if they know I’m with Massimo.
“My stepfather was well-off.” I begin my admission quietly. “Not rich, but he had a job that paid well enough to keep our family in a nice neighborhood. We took a vacation once a year, and he sent my stepsister, Rachel, and me to private school.”
Massimo’s features pinch with puzzlement. “I’m not trying to replace your father.”
“He’s not my father,” I snap, the old wound causing me to lash out.
I take a breath to calm myself and continue. “My biological father left when I was four. I barely remember him.”
The few memories I have—ice cream and playgrounds and birthday cake—further muddle my complicated feelings about the man who abandoned me as a child and never looked back.
“My mother struggled to support us.” I press on.
“She worked two jobs waiting tables to keep a roof over our heads and some food on the table. She resented the burden of another mouth to feed, and she blamed me for my father leaving us. She said I was a difficult child, and that was why he didn’t stay. ”
Massimo’s jaw ticks, and he strokes my hair, silently urging me to continue despite his mounting anger.
“When I was nine, she met my stepfather. She hid the fact of my existence from him until they were engaged.”
I spent so many nights alone in our ramshackle apartment, making my own crude dinners and tucking myself into bed. She claimed she was dating him to help us escape poverty, and I couldn’t complain about that.
I learned at a young age never to complain. If I make myself small and quiet, no one will get upset with me. I won’t be rebuked if I don’t cause any trouble.
“You said you have a stepsister,” Massimo gently prompts. “He already had a child of his own. Why would your mother need to hide your existence?”
I shrug. “She didn’t want to scare my stepfather off with the burden of another child.
By the time they were engaged, they were committed enough for her to introduce us.
They married, and we moved into a big house as a new family.
My mother doted on Rachel, treating her as her own daughter.
My stepfather didn’t feel the same about me.
He never wanted me; I was baggage from my mom’s past relationship. ”
Over time, Rachel became their daughter. I was set apart, a pariah in my childhood home.
“He was a fool,” Massimo growls. “Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life.”
Another tear spills over, scouring my cheek in a cathartic burn as I release some of the pain that I’ve carried deep inside me for years.
“Thank you for saying that.” My voice is thick with emotion, and I lean into his hand for comfort.
His jaw firms. “I’m saying it because it’s true. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way, Evelyn. You deserve to be cherished.”
I close my eyes briefly, allowing the quiet tears to fall as I release the weight of my burdens.
I’m not ready to fully believe what he’s saying, but the act of confessing my darkest secrets provides relief I didn’t know I needed.
I’ve carried this terrible secret for so long that I didn’t realize how heavily it laid on my soul.
I meet his gaze and find that his eyes are full of storm clouds. His righteous anger on my behalf bolsters my strength, and I draw in a calming breath.
“My stepfather made me feel like I owed him for everything he provided for me.” I finish my explanation. “I had to behave because he gave me a place to live and food to eat. I couldn’t complain because he sent me to private school. So, I never acted out.