Page 26 of Be With Me
“So red. Like, horrifically red.”
My head fell back against the booth. “Okay. I’m ready for a drink.”
Zo flagged a server down. As soon as he'd taken our orders and left, Fabi reached for my hand again. This time, I didn’t pull away.
“Will you forgive me?”
I wanted to. But I was still hurt. “You hid a big part of your life from me. For a long time.”
“It wasn’t really my life until the engagement,” she insisted. “My brother doesn’t talk to me about his business. I’m not involved in his companies. I was happy to live in Geneva, doing my own thing. Same with Elena.”
“Is she back in New York now too?” I asked.
Fabi shook her head. “She’s on a mission in Botswana. It’ll be over just in time for the wedding.”
“So what happened exactly? You fell for Cosimo and decided he's worth leaving Switzerland for?”
Fabi’s hand clenched around mine, and her expression fell. “I…” Her voice wavered. “I didn’t fall for him. It’s an arranged marriage.”
My heart stopped. I felt the blood drain out of my face. “Come again?”
Fabi smiled, but it looked forced. “It’s okay. I always knew it would be this way. My brother picked Cosimo for me. It’s for the good of the family.”
That text she’d sent yesterday. I hadn’t thought much of her saying she needed emotional support—who didn’t at an event with your entire family present?—but now I suspected there was more to it.
“Fabi, do you like him?” I asked.
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
That was the least convincing answer I’d ever heard. All the secrecy about him—God, it was all starting to click.
I squinted at her. “Do you evenknowhim?”
She nibbled on the corner of her mouth. “A bit. Yeah.”
The server returned with our drinks, but I barely registered him rattling off our order. My ears rang.
This wasn’t right. Fabi deserved better than having to marry some guy she hardly knew.
Correction—not just some guy. A dangerous, ruthless criminal like Cosimo Ferraro. How could her brother do this to her?
The anger I’d felt at her earlier was gone. Now I was just worried.
“Do you want to marry him?” I asked as soon as the server walked away.
She let out a breath. “I don’t have a choice. But honestly, it’s fine. That was the deal my brother made with Elena and I. We could live our lives in Switzerland, far from all of this, as long as when the time came, we’d return home and do our duty.”
Fine.It wasn’t fine.
If anything, it seemed cruel. Letting them taste freedom just to rip it away.
My gaze flicked to Nina and Zo. “This isn’t okay. Right?”
Nina didn’t look fazed. She sipped her drink, taking her time before answering. “I know it must seem strange, but this is how that world works.”
I stared at her. “Seriously? So you’re okay with Fabi being forced to marry a killer?” My voice sharpened. “Because he’s your cousin?”
Nina frowned. “Cosimo’s not going to hurt her, Mia. He’s not like that.”
