"Because she always said the right woman for me would be someone who challenged me. Someone who made me want to be better than I am.
And don't forget, your father was a friend to our family, someone my mother tried to prove his innocence, but was killed in the process," Matteo said with pain in his voice.
Isabella felt her cheeks warm beneath her mask. "Matteo... I am sorry. It was partially my father's fault your mother died."
Matteo kept his hands on her as he bent down close to her ear. "It was not. It's the fault of those who killed her to bury the truth."
For a moment, they swayed together in silence, the weight of his words hanging between them.
As he said that, he sucked her earlobe as she flinched and closed her eyes. It seemed though her body was on fire.
"I know you don't want to hear it," he said softly. His voice was barely audible over the music. "But I had to say it."
