night, but I always forced myself to stay away. Then, my uncle was assassinated and everything changed. When I became the boss, an immense burden fell on my shoulders. The countless obligations and the necessity to strengthen my position served as an immediate distraction. I didn't think as much about you anymore. Your image was stored in my memory and I thought I would never see you again. It was for the best because you didn't belong in my world.”
“But you did see me again,” I remarked, remembering the hell Trisha had condemned me to without an ounce of mercy.
“Yes, tesoro. I fought so hard to stay away, but then you came to me and I was forced to destroy our relationship before it even began,” he said in a distant voice. “You saw me kill and suddenly you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“Alessandro, it wasn't like that,” I protested, beseeching him with my eyes.
“How was it then, Olivia? I couldn't put my finger on the sudden change in your behavior, so I read your journal and saw that you fell in love with a fantasy. You were crazy about that man from the restaurant, but you despised the killer. You despised the real me.” He shook his head. “It made me angry. I saved you. I risked everything for you. I waged a senseless war with that fucking cartel that wanted to avenge the death of their leader and get their hands on you because they knew you were the fucking reason I pulled the trigger.”
My hand flew to my suddenly dry throat. “A war?” I asked incredulously. “You started a war with those people?”
“What did you think happened when I killed that asshole right under their noses in broad daylight?” Alessandro challenged with a cocked brow. “They certainly didn't say ‘thank you and by the way, you may keep the girl as a memento of the fucking murder.’”
“I thought you were familiar with them,” I said in a confused tone. “You knew that doctor who examined me.”
“That was pure coincidence. There aren't many doctors out there willing to keep their mouth shut in exchange for cash, so sometimes we used his services. It was clear you were terrified of him when you woke up, so I became suspicious and asked you what he did.”
“Are you still using his services?” I probed, trying to mask the disgust in my voice.
“It would be a challenge to obtain the man since he's dead.”
I went pale. “You killed him?”
“Yes, Olivia,” he said without hesitation. “He violated you, so I put a fucking bullet in his head to make him pay for causing you distress.”
“You didn't have to do that,” I mumbled, staring at my lap.
“Of course I did,” he asserted harshly. “Just as I had to kill that man who wanted to turn you into a hooker.”
“Did you know there would be consequences?” I demanded with slight caution.
“Of course, I knew. I broke every single fucking rule in the book when I shot that guy in front of witnesses. All hell broke loose and though the cartel knew I was the perpetrator, they couldn't touch me. All they wanted was for me to return the girl. They knew where you lived and waited for you to reappear. I had my men guard your house twenty-four-seven because those people weren't going to stop until they got you back.”
“What did you do?” I inquired in an incredulous whisper.
“Lorenzo and everyone else expected me to hand over the girl and get rid of the issue. To them, you weren't worth it. But to me, you were.” His eyes bored into mine. “I refused to let them have you and it caused a division within the organization. I was accused of putting my personal interests in front of those of the famiglia for a woman of no significance. So, I did the most unexpected thing to shut everyone up, and make you untouchable. I made you my wife...I went against the family. I went against tradition. I went against my better judgement.”
“And against my consent,” I added quietly.
“Don't take this the wrong way, cara, but your consent at the time was the least of my fucking worries. I was trying to keep you alive, without having to lose the shirt off my back. If my position got jeopardized, both of us would end up dead.”
“You never said anything. I had no idea of the position you were in because you saved me.”