Admissions
Zorah tossed and turned in her bed. After declining to join at dinner, her heart still torn over the events of the early evening, she’d come to bed alone. Now her mind and thoughts were jumbled. She’d made a mistake.
She noted the light from the hall as the door cracked open and the quiet steps of Icaro coming into the room. She watched him in the pale moonlight disappear into the bathroom and come back a short time later wearing cotton pajama bottoms and bare chested. Her mouth salivated at the sight of him, and she wanted to push away the desire she felt but it was greater than she was.
Wordlessly, he slid into the bed beside her and slipped his hand under her pillow and drew her towards him. His lips pressed a tender kiss to her temple, and he sighed quietly.
“You’re angry,” she whispered into the darkness.
“Not at you, my love.”
“You might be soon,” she took a breath.
“Not ever. There is nothing you could ever do which would make me angry with you specifically.”
“I made a mistake.”
“What kind of mistake?” he turned her, so she was facing him in the dim light. “Talk to me Zorah.”
“Someone texted me earlier.” While he waited for her to speak further, she nervously clutched the edge of the blanket between them. “They saw the whole thing with Sveva, and they sent me a photo of me on the balcony.” She felt him tensing beside her, “they said they could even see me in this room.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know.” She admitted.
“What else did they want?”
She could tell he was trying desperately to remain calm while she confessed in the dark.
“They wanted to switch places with me.”
“Switch places?”
“They said you slept with them before, and they were wanting a second chance. They offered to help me run away.” She felt his breath hitch at her words.
“You didn’t tell me because you were thinking of taking up on their offer?”
“I don’t know.” She twisted the sheets in her hand. “You came back in the room when they were texting, and they told me to delete the texts so I did in a panic because they said they could see me.”
“I see.” He rubbed his hand over his mouth. “You were scared of Sveva at the gate, but this person didn’t scare you enough to call me to help? You saw an opportunity and you were contemplating it, and this is why you didn’t tell me. Not because you were panicked but because you were thinking of running.”
“I’m just so confused, Icaro. I’m scared.”
He rolled away from her and collected his own phone which he’d dropped on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Not relinquishing his hold on her from under her pillow, he tucked her against his chest and dialed out.
“Saul, it’s me. Zorah got a text earlier this evening. She’s deleted it but can you get Doris to recover and trace it? Also, they sent a photo to her of her on our balcony at the villa and commented they could see into the house. Can you find out which boats were out in the water as I’m presuming it’s someone with a long lens? When you get the information, send it to Vodingo to cross-reference in his dictionary of faces.”
“Anything else, boss?”
The man’s voice echoed in the quiet of the bedroom and Zorah listened carefully for anything else he might say. Was he going to badmouth her for stupidly deleting the messages?
“Yes. Find out if Doris was able to get into Caiu Giarre’s files. He’s been dropping my past fuckery in front of Zorah. He’s probably the one behind this shit but find out for sure before I arrange a meeting with him.”
“On it. Is your bride safe, boss? Anything else we can do from here?”
“She is safe at my side, Saul.”
“Alright. I’ll update you as soon as I hear anything. Night, boss.”
“Night.”
Zorah looked at Icaro after he deposited his phone back on the nightstand expecting him to tell her off. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a breath and then appeared to be ready to sleep. Tilting her head to look at him, she frowned.
“You’re not angry with me?”
“I’m angry someone is manipulating you in such a way. I’m angry you didn’t trust me but not at you, at myself because I’ve made you feel you cannot. Mostly,” he took a breath, “I’m angry it’s come to this. You are hiding things pertinent to your safety because you are desperate to leave me.”
“Icaro,” she felt tears clogging her throat at his words.
“You want to leave Zorah and it’s my fault and I will own it. I told Vodingo earlier this evening I would let you leave.”
She sat up at his words and looked down at him. “What?”
“I told him I’d give it another week but if by the weekend you still were wanting to leave me, I’d offer for you to pick a place anywhere in the world and I’d set you up to start your life over without me. He was upset because he thinks Sidonia would choose to go with you.”
Zorah watched him speaking so casually with his eyes remaining closed and his hand resting on his chest. Her heart was hammering against her chest. “You told Vodingo you would let me go?”
“Yes. He called me a quitter for giving up. He’s angry.”
“But –” she frowned at him. “You, I,” she was flustered her fists curling in her lap. “I don’t understand.”
“Zorah, lay down, love. Let’s talk more about this tomorrow.”
“No. I want to talk about it now. You want me to leave?”
He finally opened his eyes, the blue of his irises nearly electric in the current lighting. “No. I do not want you to leave. I never want you away from me. I want you at my side from now until the day I die. I want to pull you into my arms right now and make love to you until dawn with the intimacy a married couple should share. I want to spoil you with riches. I want to spend our honeymoon getting to know one another the way I originally intended. But –” he shook his head.
“But what?” her eyes were misting up despite.
“You aren’t trying, Zorah. You aren’t trying because you’re already checked out. I can’t force you to love me and I can’t convince you to try. If you haven’t even tried in the last ten days, why should I believe, you will try in the next ten?”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
