Don't Need You - Lilian Monroe Page 0,77

God, if he tries to kiss me I’ll kick him in the balls. If I can get my legs to cooperate, that is.

“I saw the listing for Nonna’s house, and it broke my heart,” Angelo says, his voice dropping to a rasp. The noise grates on my spirit, rattling my bones. “I knew I couldn’t let it go to a stranger,” he continues. His hand reaches toward me and I back away. “Serena, we could try again.”

When Angelo’s eyes drop to my stomach, my blood turns to ice. Does he mean…?

“I’d love a grandbaby,” my mother says behind him, her eyes wide.

My breath is short and sharp. My heart hammers. Palms are clammy.

She lied. All those pretty words about me being strong? About giving up opportunities? About being here for the family?

They were all dirty, manipulative lies. She knew Angelo was the one who bought this house, and she accepted his offer anyway. She knew what he did to me. How he broke me. How I changed—and she still sold it to him.

She wants me to have children with this monster! With the man who made me feel like I was nothing.

There’s no blood pumping through my veins anymore, it’s just pure adrenaline. Adrenaline and fear—a lethal mix. I shake my head, holding up my hands. Angelo takes another step forward, threading his fingers between mine. I pull back, but he grips me harder.

“This is how it should be, Serena,” he hisses. “You belong to me.”

Not with me. To. It wasn’t a slip of the tongue, either. That’s exactly what Angelo means. He thinks I belong to him, body and soul, and this is his final move. Checkmate.

Panic grips my throat. My heart is out of control. I try to pull my hand away, but Angelo holds me close. He wraps his other hand around my waist and I’m engulfed in the cloying scent of his cologne. My whole body screams. My mind is shutting down, and I can’t get enough breath in my lungs.

I squeeze my eyes shut as disgust snakes its way through my stomach at Angelo’s touch. In my mind’s eye, the only thing I can see is Kit. I wish he were here to protect me.

No, scratch that.

I wish I were there. In Woodvale. On the other side of the country, tangled in Kit’s bedsheets. Living my life. Being my own person.

A surge of strength wells up inside me, and I shove Angelo away with a roar. He stumbles back, eyes wide.

“Serena—”

“No.” I widen my stance, closing my hands into fists.

“Honey,” my mother admonishes. “Be reasonable.”

“No,” I repeat. “I won’t be reasonable. I won’t be a doormat. I. Will. Not. Be. Yours.” With every word, I point my finger at Angelo. I feel almost drunk with my own power, knowing my words are true. It’s not like a few months ago, when Angelo scared me so much he still had dominion over me.

I’m different now. I’ve given everything up for my family, and all for what? For this? For a betrayal? All to realize that my mother doesn’t see me as a person at all. She doesn’t understand a healthy relationship. She doesn’t see that Angelo is nothing more than a predator.

I won’t stay. I won’t lose myself to this pit of vipers.

“Baby,” Angelo purrs, his eyes spitting fire.

“Call me baby one more time, Angelo, I fucking dare you,” I spit the words, narrowing my eyes. My mother gasps, and I don’t give a damn.

I’d love to kick him in the balls right now. Or punch him in the throat. Maybe poke his eyes out and watch him writhe on the floor. The strength of my hatred surprises me. It scares me, too. I stare into the blackness, knowing that if I take it that far, there’ll be no coming back.

Instead, I think of Kit. Of his arms around me. His scent. How his touch feels like magic, and his kiss tastes like heaven.

I was a better person when he was around. I had dreams and aspirations. I meditated and tried to make friends. I exercised every day and ate healthier than ever before—minus a pumpkin pie or two.

That’s who I want to be. Not a violent, angry animal. Not someone who stoops to Angelo’s level.

Dropping my shoulders, I shake my head. “I’m out of here.”

“Serena!” my mother says, taking a few steps to follow me.

“Find your own way home, Mother. I’m done.”

31

Kit

Two weeks after Esme’s party, on my way back to Woodvale after four days