“Make that twenty five seconds,” he said in a voice that rang with menace. “Get the hell out of my house!”
Alessandro wasn't joking and Lorenzo knew it. When he was in this crazy mood, nobody knew what could happen. With record speed, the two men were untied and carried out. Everyone was gone and the three of us were left alone. At last, I collected the courage to meet Broderick's eyes. His pleading gaze told me everything I needed to know. Alessandro was right...he had lied to me all this time.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
The present
The tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Broderick stared at us pleadingly and Alessandro stood beside me with his arms crossed over his chest. For a few breathless heartbeats, all of us existed in this suspenseful silence. Then, Alessandro let out a long breath and his eyes darted my way. “Cara, you ready?” he inquired softly.
I nodded and he stalked over to Broderick, leaning over him. “I'm going to pull that rag out of your mouth, but you’re not going to speak until spoken to. Is that clear?”
Broderick bowed his head in quick agreement, but the moment the rag was out of his mouth, he inhaled a huge chunk of air and mumbled in clear panic, “Olivia, please...”
Alessandro grabbed him by the throat and screamed in his face. “What the fuck did I say?”
Broderick's face turned red like a tomato, and he made helpless gurgling sounds, as Alessandro squeezed his neck. If I didn't do something, he would choke him to death.
“You're going to kill him!” I uttered in distress. “Alessandro, please. It's no big deal. Let him speak.”
I recognized the look in Alessandro's eyes. It was that unmovable expression that meant he wouldn’t reconsider his intentions, no matter how much I pleaded with him. But this time, it was different. His eyes held mine for a few moments. Then, some kind of switch happened. He let go of Broderick's throat in one swift movement as though against his own will. Broderick immediately gasped for breath and his quivering mouth hung open as he gaped at us with sheer terror.
Alessandro glanced at him with disdain. “As you can see, my patience is hanging by a very thin thread, so you better get on with it, Mr. Matthews...or should I say, Mr. Wyatt.”
“Olivia, please listen to me,” he begged in a weak, raspy voice. “I know how it looks, but I didn't lie to you.”
His words didn't move me. I didn't want to hear his excuses. That wasn’t the reason I had requested to speak to him. “Don't do this, Broderick. It’s useless,” I warned in a determined emotionless voice. “I know the truth. I know you and your father only meant to use me as a scapegoat to get the money I'd inherit after Alessandro's murder.”
Broderick shook his head in adamant denial. “Olivia, it wasn't like that. That might have been the original plan, but things changed. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you in person.”
Alessandro lost his composure and grabbed a handful of Broderick’s hair, yanking his head up. “If you think I'm going to stand by and listen to your lies, you conniving money-grabbing—”
“It's the truth,” Broderick screamed in pain. “I wanted the money but I wanted her as well.”
Alessandro pulled even harder, then let go of him abruptly, as if he didn't trust himself not to hurt Broderick beyond repair.
“Just who are you trying to kid?” Alessandro demanded furiously. “If you truly care about Olivia like you let her believe, you wouldn't have involved her into this entire mess and let her think she was the trigger for the fucking accident.”
Broderick peered up at me, his eyes wet with tears. “He's right. The accident wasn't your fault. It would have happened no matter what. We've been planning it for years. We were just waiting for the right time.”
“Then why did you make me feel like you were doing it for me?” I demanded with a hint of bitterness. “If you cared about me, why did you let me think I was a murderer?”
Broderick's expression sank even lower. “It was simple. I wanted to be able to be your hero and obtain our goal at the same time. I knew you'd warm up to me once your husband was gone. I had no intention to hurt you. Once it was done, I planned to settle accounts with my father. He