Damiano De Santis leaned back in his chair, the dim chandelier light glinting off his sharp jawline. His presence was suffocating, and yet his movements were calm, deliberate, like a predator that knew its prey couldn't escape.
"I don't have the time to waste here," he said smoothly, setting down his glass of wine. His eyes flicked briefly to me, and though the look lasted only a heartbeat, it felt as though he had stripped me bare. "My men will return for her in two days. Be sure she's ready."
He didn't wait for a response. He rose, his tall frame towering over everyone in the room, and with a swirl of his dark coat, he was gone. The air seemed to breathe easier once he left, though my chest only tightened
The silence broke with a sharp crack.
My head whipped to the side, skin stinging. My father's hand hung in the air, trembling with rage.
"How dare you speak out of turn, you useless girl!" Sebastian Hale spat. "Do you realize the shame you nearly brought upon us? If Damiano had changed his mind, if he had chosen Vivienne or Isabella instead our family would have been destroyed!"
My lips parted, but no sound came out. I pressed my palm to my cheek, heat pooling beneath my skin.
Vivienne scoffed, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder. "Honestly, Father's right. Do you have any idea who Damiano De Santis is, Luna? Women in Italy and Spain would kill for the chance to be seen by him, let alone claimed. That face, that body…" Her voice turned breathless. "He looks like sin itself."
Isabella leaned in with a dreamy sigh. "Those eyes. Cold and perfect. If only he had chosen me…" She trailed off, her smile twisting with envy as she glared at me.
"Elena," my father barked, "explain to her what she's walking into, since she's too stupid to understand."
My mother didn't hesitate. Her gaze slid to me, cool and venomous. "Damiano De Santis is no man, Luna. He is a storm. They say he doesn't flinch at blood, doesn't forgive betrayal. The last woman who dared to defy him was found floating in the river. Pieces of her, anyway."
Her lips curved into a cruel smile. "You think we're frightened for you, child? No. We're relieved. You've always been a curse. A witch. It's fitting that someone as merciless as Damiano will finally deal with you."
Vivienne snickered. "A demonic witch in the hands of a devil. Perfect."
Their laughter rang in my ears, sharp and poisonous. I stared at them, my family, the people who were supposed to love me and for the first time, I understood.
They wanted me gone. And in two days, I would be.