Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Sophia
I went home the next day, if you could call it home. To me, the penthouse was nothing more than a prison. Now more than ever.
And if I had thought Matteo was bad before, then it was nothing compared to what he was now. He looked after me. I was fed and housed, but that was it.
He didn’t care for me. When he spoke to me, it was to say cruel things or even worse than that. He was cold.
The only saving grace in all of this was that I wasn’t pregnant. The hospital had confirmed that. Plus the fact that he believed me when I had told him there had been no child.
And he did believe me, he wouldn’t have been acting like this if he didn’t. Lily was safe.
For now.
But I would have to find a way to get in touch with Nat. She needed to leave the flat and take Lily somewhere no one could trace them.
There might not be any suspicion right now, but sooner or later, Matteo would calm down and start looking.
I was pretty surprised he hadn’t already.
Or maybe he had and hadn’t looked into my medical history.
If he did that, it was all over, and I didn’t know what was worse: living like this, as his hated prisoner, or him finding out that I had lied.
Really, there was no contest. I would stay locked up in this penthouse forever if it meant my daughter was free of all of this shit.
I really, really did need to speak to Nat and check in with Lily, though. It was like an itch in my brain that I couldn’t scratch, and it was driving me crazy.
Grabbing my coat, I went to the elevator and pressed the button.
Matteo had said over and over again that I wasn’t a prisoner. At least he used to. Now, I wasn’t so sure, but there was only one way to find out.
Silently, the doors opened, and a man stepped out. It was not someone I recognized.
Shrinking back, I took a step backward and almost fell down. He caught me under the arm and jerked me back to my feet roughly.
The stitches in my side screamed with pain, but I didn’t let a sound escape my lips.
“Careful, miss.” His voice was kinder than the look he gave me. “Do you need something?”
Bewildered, I stared at him. “No, I don’t think so. I just mean…who are you?” I asked in a jumble of words. “I mean, I know you are one of Matteo’s men, but what are you doing up here?”
Nerves prickled along my arms. Why was he here? A few days ago, someone had shot me, and now there was a man standing in my living room.
Did Matteo have a traitor in his midst? Was this man the one who had tried to kill me?
“You called for the elevator,” he said, like this made sense.
“I wanted to go for a walk and get some air.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, miss, but I can’t let that happen. Matteo’s orders are pretty clear. You’re not to leave unless he is with you.”
I swallowed hard. “Is that right?”
“I’m afraid so. Your brother is downstairs, though. And Matteo has allowed his visits.”
Now the not being allowed outside made complete sense, but Matteo allowing Gio to visit made absolutely none.
“Gio is here?”
“Yes, miss. He’s downstairs. Says he wants to visit with his beloved sister.” The man didn’t roll his eyes, but he might as well have.
He wasn’t buying the devoted brother routine either.
“I can tell him you don’t want to see him if you like?”
I schooled my face into a smile. “No, I would love to see my brother. Thank you,” I lied.
I didn’t want to see Gio.
Not now and not alone. If I had to face him, then I wanted Matteo close. Even if he hated me. Gio wouldn’t dare ask me to do anything I didn’t want to do if Matteo was listening.
A long, silent pause passed. “Fine, but press the button if you need me. I’ll be only one floor down. If you want him to leave, then I’ll make it happens miss.”
Tears sprang up in my eyes before I could stop them. This stranger had shown me more kindness than I had been given in weeks.
“Thank you,” I said to the empty room because he had already left.
Using the heels of my hands, I scrubbed at my face and waited for my brother.
“You look like…” he said the moment he took a seat opposite me. His eyes were narrowed and bloodshot as he stared at me shivering under the throw blanket.
I frowned. “Like I’ve recently been shot?” I countered. “What happened to hello? Or have you forgotten your manners?”
Eyes that I had once thought were full of brotherly love turned icy. “Just like you seemed to have forgotten your duty to your family.”
Silent, I fell back. “I don’t want to do this again, Gio. I haven’t forgotten my family.”
Boy, wasn’t that the truth. My family was all I did think about, but not him. I thought about my daughter and my friend. My real family.
“No?” Leaning forward, he glared at me. “Because you are here living the high life with a man who…”
“A man who did what, Gio?” That was enough. I would not be bullied by him. Or by Matteo, either. I was my own person. I’d survived by myself all of these years, and I had built a great life for myself.
Until he had come and dragged me back home.
I hadn’t wanted to come back.
Narrowing my eyes, I met his glare with one of my own.
“I didn’t ask to come here. I was shot, I could have died.”
“But you didn’t. It was a flesh wound.”
“That is not the point. Jesus, Gio, what happened to you? You’re my brother. And the brother I knew and loved wouldn’t be here saying this shit.”
“The sister I once loved wouldn’t be here with the man responsible for everything bad happening in our lives,” he countered.
“Here with him?” I screeched. “You’re the one who forced me here. Do you know what he does to me? How he treats me?” I hated the fact that my voice shook because I wanted to be strong right now.
My brother didn’t say a word.
I sighed, and my wound panged. Or maybe it was my heart. He didn’t care, that was the bottom line.
Gio knew how Matteo was treating me, and he just didn’t care.
There was only one thing he cared about, and that was revenge. Which wouldn’t bring our parents back from the dead.
Nothing could do that.
They were gone.
“I want to go home, Gio,” I whispered. “Not here. This isn’t my home. I want to go home.”
“Then you know what you have to do.” There was absolutely no emotion in his voice. It was just cold. I opened my mouth to speak, and he got there first.
“Use your brain, Sophia,” he snapped. “Do you think I am strong enough to get you back from him? If you want to be free of Matteo, then you know what you have to do.” His eyes glittered with malice.
“I can’t do it, Gio.”
He stood. “You really don’t have a choice.” Coming around the table, he brushed his lips on my cheek. “But don’t take too long about getting it done. I would hate for there to be nothing left at home for you to go back to.”
I sobbed, the wet agonizing sound louder than the elevator doors closing as he left me alone with my misery.
Curling myself up into a ball, I cried. Letting all of my pain and anger out. There was no way out of this. My brother had threatened to kill my daughter. I couldn’t deny it any longer. He had given me a clear ultimatum.
Either I killed Matteo or he killed Lily.
“I don’t want to talk to you again, Gio. Leave me the fuck alone,” I screamed when the elevator again whooshed open.
God, I hated that it opened straight into our apartment. I wanted space and peace and quiet and just a few hours where the damn thing didn’t open and spew more bad news in my direction.
“His visit went well then?” Matteo’s voice called out.
I scrambled upward, wrapping myself in the throw like it was a shield and would keep me safe.
“It’s you, I thought…” My voice was thick with tears.
Taking one look at me, Matteo’s face turned hard. “What the fuck did he do to you?”
Mutely, I shook my head, but I couldn’t help the next sob that tore its way out of my lips. Crossing the floor, he fell onto the sofa next to me and gathered me into his arms.
“What did he do, Sophia?”
I melted against him, wrapping my arms around him so he could hold me like a baby. It was exactly what I needed, but at the same time, it made me feel worse.
“He didn’t do anything,” I said into the tear-stained wet spot on his shirt front.
“Then tell me what he said to you that has put that look on your face. Tell me and I’ll make it all go away. Whatever he is threatening you with—"
“It’s not…you can’t.” I sucked in a breath, and with it, I filled my lungs with the warm, masculine smell of him.
“Tell me, Sophia. Tell me what you are hiding. What is your brother—"
I could tell him. I could spill all my secrets and deal with the consequences. It would almost be easy.
“Let me help you, Sophia. All you have to do is tell me the truth, and all of this could be over.” Over and over again, his hands stroked up and down my back.
He was giving me comfort, but at the same time, terrifying me. Because what did he mean it would all be over?
If he knew about Lily, what would he do to her?
I pushed at his chest, untangling my way out of his arms and sitting upright.
Angrily, I wiped at my face. “There is nothing to tell. No big plan against you. I got sad because I missed my brother,” I lied, and even as I said the words, I knew he didn’t believe them.
In reality, he didn’t need to believe them because he was never getting the truth out of me.
I would die before I ever put my daughter in danger.
“You’re still lying to me, Sophia.” He jumped to his feet.
“I’ve given you chance after chance to open up to me, to be fucking honest, but you just can’t do it, can you?
” he spat. “You’re as bad as your brother.
No,” his eyes narrowed, “no, you are worse. So much worse than he is. Keep your secrets, Sophia. But when I find out, and I will find out, it’s going to be so much worse for you,”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, like it can get any worse?”
He laughed at me. “Oh, it can, Sophia. I can make it so much worse for you. I can make you wish you had never met me.” He sneered. “Baby killer.”
My chin quivered. “I already regret the day I met you, Matteo. I regret ever having loved you at all.”
Panting, he stared at me. “You’re a piece of work, Sophia. A real sick…”
I stood, squaring my shoulders. “And you’re the one who made me that way. This is what loving you does to someone. You are poison and I hate you.”
He blinked twice, shocked that I had said the words out loud. “And there it is. The truth at last. So you hate me. Any other truths for me, Sophia?”
I shook my head.
“Then I will leave you to your self-pity. Enjoy it.” He moved away but didn’t leave. “I hate you as well. I hope you know that, Sophia. I hate you almost as much as I once loved you.”
Not saying another word, he stepped into the elevator, and the whooshing doors closed.
I fell back onto the sofa.
God, I hated that elevator.