Luca hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. "There was talk of an arrangement. Between you and Matteo."
Isabella's hands began to shake like leaves in a storm. "What kind of arrangement?"
"A marriage arrangement," Luca said quietly, the words dropping between them like stones. "I overheard my father talking about it once. He said it would make our family invincible the De Lucas and Morettis united forever."
The room seemed to spin around Isabella, the revelation hitting her. "Marriage? To Matteo?"
"It was just talk," Luca said quickly, seeing her distress. "You were only six years old and besides it was meant for the future, when you were grown up."
Isabella felt like she couldn't breathe, the air thick as honey. "Does Matteo know about this?"
"I'm not sure," Luca said, running a hand through his hair. "Father and your father kept it secret. They were going to announce it on your eighteenth birthday. But then your father was killed, and you disappeared."
