Chapter 56


    “I want everyone to know that you belong to me. I want Ariana to know that she can’t hurt you again.”


    I can’t talk. I can’t deny that hearing him talk about belonging to him isn’t turning me on a little.


    But how can I agree? A few days ago, he was threatening my dad’s life. Now he wants to marry me.


    And then he’s pulling the ring out of the box and putting it on my finger. I try to move and take it off.


    “Listen to me. You will be safer with this ring on your finger than you’d be without it.”


    “I can’t. Don’t ask me to do this, Iacopo.” My childhood fairytale prince is here in the hospital with me,


    but he’s in the Mafia and he threatened my dad to make me move in with him. I don’t know how to


    make my mental images of him match up.


    “Wear it. We don’t have to set a date. Just consider it protection.”


    “You think that she’s going toe for you again? Won’t she be even more motivated if she knows that


    I mean something to you?”


    “I think that she already knew.”


    A female doctor walks into my room.


    “Are you ready to be discharged?”


    “Are you joking? She just got here.” Iacopo explodes, walking towards the doctor. “She needs to stay


    overnight at least.”


    “There’s no reason for us to keep her.” Apparently the doctor can’t be bullied by Iacopo. “You can bring


    her back if she gets worse, but we don’t have enough beds.”


    Iacopo is glowering at her. I know that his money and power normally intimidate people. The doctor in


    this room doesn’t care at all that he’s Iacopo Genovese.


    “I’m putting in a discharge order now.” There’s a tablet in her hands. Iacopo’s re should make it burst


    into mes. “You’ll be out within the next few hours.”


    She just walks out, not caring that Iacopo is about to lose his shit.


    I have to fill out a bunch of paperwork before I’m discharged. The nurses are doing a bunch of stuff.


    They want my health insurance information. Iacopo is stewing in the corner.


    “You’re ready to go.”


    Iacopo looks like he’s about to blow. “Is there a wheelchair?”


    “Iacopo, I can walk.” To prove it, I get out of bed. The change of position makes blood rush to my head.


    I wheeze a little bit as the room spins.


    “You’re getting a wheelchair.”


    We argue. I lose. In another minute, he’s pushing me into an elevator in a hospital wheelchair. The


    nurse next to us is just shaking her head. She’s gotten bulldozed by him, but I guess she sees this kind


    of thing often.


    The car downstairs is ready for us. Iacopo picks me up and puts me in the car like I’m incapable of


    climbing up.


    Chapter Eighteen


    Running Away


    Kelly


    He gets into the car. His arm is around me, as if he can protect me from anything that would harm me.


    We don’t talk at all as we go home. Well, his house. I’ve been here such a short time that it’s crazy how


    fast I’vee to think of it as my home. He pulls me out of the car and keeps me in his arms.


    “I can walk.” He’s going up the stairs while still carrying me.


    “No, you can’t. You’re sleeping for the rest of the day. I’ll have the chef bring up some soup in a few


    hours.”


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