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“What are you pla
I blinked. “My birthday?”
His brows rose. “The 29th of August, Isabella. Did you forget?”
I had. There was so much going on in my mind that my birthday had completed gone u
I sipped my wine. “I’m surprised you remembered.”
“Due to all your other unfavourable traits, I assumed you would be obsessed with birthdays, so I made a note to remember it.”
“Unfavourable?” I lifted my glass. “Do you want this throw in your face?”
Giova
“You’re wrong by the way,” I added. “I never celebrate my birthday. It’s the a
“You were born on the same day as your sister?”
“Same hour, same minute, exactly eight years later.”
His brow arched. “The more I learn about your family, the more inclined I am to find them.” Giova
A loaded statement. I didn’t speak out of fear I would reveal something better left unsaid.
The boat shifted as a particularly strong wave pushed into the side. Rationally, I knew the deck hadn’t moved, but my brain immediately tricked me into thinking I had been shoved to the side. I latched onto the side of the table, steadying myself.
Giova
I swallowed against my dry throat. “A little bit.”
“This is why you’ve been off all day. I assumed it was you experiencing guilt again–my brother told me it was an ever-constant feeling, but it’s not that, is it?”
“I always feel guilty,” I muttered. “Except right now, I’m feeling both guilty and on the brink of an anxiety attack.”
Disapproval shone on my husband’s face. “You should’ve said something, Isabella. I never would’ve insisted we holiday on the yacht if I knew it would bring you such discomfort.”
I looked away, cheeks suddenly hot. “Marzia…She seemed so happy when you told her we were going away to her favorite place. I didn’t want to take away from that.” I sent him a smile, but it felt too forced and came out strange. “I’ll just sleep in the spare room, with my bucket and Zoloft.”
“Fu
A shadowy figure caught the corner of my eye. So quick, so fast, I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me. I searched the deck.
“Hey, Giova
What happened next started with me crying out for my husband and ended with me screaming his name.
Giova
Two unfamiliar men charged forward, one going straight for my husband. Giova
I cried out, “Knife!” Giova
I needed to do something. I needed to help.
Gustavo fought off two men, and other Vigliano soldati had joined the fight. More shadowy men climbed onto the boat, outnumbering us significantly.
Pirates or the government?
One man looked towards me. Brown eyes gleamed and he sent me a wink.
Lombardis.
I grabbed the bottle of wine, getting ready to smash it and use the glass–
A gunshot went off.
Chaos erupted, shouts and bullets and screams. More men filled out the deck, trampling over the sunbeds Marzia and I had dozed in earlier.
Marzia. Oh, God. She was asleep a floor below. The noise would wake her, but would she be safe? I took in all the men. No, Marzia wouldn’t be safe. I would have to get to her and protect her. We could take the lifeboats–
Then my eyes reached Giova
No, no.
Wounded, Giova
I charged–
I didn’t get far. Two men grabbed my arms, pulling me to the side. I let out a furious howl.
“ISABELLA!” Giova
I kicked out. My foot co
“Bitch,” he snapped. I spat at him. “We’re here to help–”
I reared back, co
My captor shoved me to the side before wrapping his hands around my hair. He forced me to look at my husband, at Giova
Giova
“Fuck you all!” I shrieked.
“Shut up and watch, principessa,” laughed the man behind me, his sour breath wafting over my face.
Another two men lunged onto Giova
They pushed him over the edge.
“No!” My scream echoed through the night, waking sea creatures from their slumber and stars from their burning. “No, no!”
Gustavo charged at the man holding me. The collision gave me enough time to escape his hold and scramble forward. Glass and blood littered the ground, but I scrambled over it all. Soldati continued to fight, their battle fading into the background as I leaned over the edge of the yacht.
The dark depths stared up at me. I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t, I couldn’t, I couldn’t. I would drown, I could already feel the water filling up my lungs–
Giova Giova Without me, he would drown. Without me, he would die. Two paths lay before me. My entire life could go back to normal if I let him sink. I could paint for the rest of my days, enjoy my parents love and respect. All the lying and spying could be over, all the guilt and nightmares would fade. I could have everything I wanted. But… The only thing I wanted was Giova I gulped, feeling panic well up inside of me. The ocean grew more terrifying, a pool of spilled ink that would swallow me whole. Staring down at the black surface, I knew I couldn’t do this. I could barely swim, and panic would kill me before drowning did. Giova “If you’re dead already,” I hissed, “I’m so going to kill you for this.” I dove. My dive was unpractised, and I smacked into the water. The world was empty for a moment, then my senses recovered. Rushing water sounded by my ears, water currents teased at my hair, my arms and legs felt like they were moving through honey.