Chapter 14

Isabella’s POV

I shut my eyes almost immediately like the very action would reduce the ounce of truth in everything he’d just said. “Or should I say mi farfalla rosso? Don’t you remember the thrill of having men old enough to be your father curling around your pinky just for a dance? Just to gaze on your skin. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.”

“Stop.”

The room seemed to swirl around me as Alessandro’s words wrapped around my head. Each one threw a jab at me, and the more I tried to subdue the pain in my chest, the more it rose like a fire being supported by oxygen.

“Just stop.”

“Your hands are as tainted with blood if you ask me,” Alessandro’s voice was cool. “And the earlier you come to accept this fact, the better for you.”

I said nothing, the sound of my blood pumping rushing in my ears. I felt nauseous as the room started to twirl, with a low churning in my stomach to complement it. Alessandro’s words were ruthless, but he was