Page 108 of Broken Crown

Tonight. It had to be tonight. Before he found out what Filomena had told me. Before the window closed completely.

I knew now that I loved Sebastian.

Completely. Desperately.

And it wasn't the soft words, the orchestrated romantic moments, or even the sex that had convinced me of my feelings.

It was that despite everything Filomena had told me—despite having my world ripped apart at the seams—I still wanted to make excuses for him.

My mind splintered into a thousand different scenarios where I would be able to convince myself that I could forgive him for all the lies and manipulations. The sharp edges of these desperate rationalizations cut into my consciousness until I felt myself bleeding from the inside out.

It was a sick reality how a woman could force herself to believe anything…if it meant staying by the side of the man she loved.

That was how I knew without a doubt that I loved Sebastian.

I loved him because I desperately wanted to forgive the unforgivable.

And that terrified me more than anything Filomena had said.

Because if I could convince myself to stay after learning the truth —what did that say about my judgment? About every choice I’d made since stepping off that plane in Rome?

My phone pinged.

I dug it out of my purse.

Mark: Everything okay? How about drinks tonight? 7:30?

I looked into the rearview mirror from the back seat.

The driver's eyes shifted to meet mine, assessing. Calculating. A silent communication system sending every detail of my movements straight back to Sebastian. His knuckles whitened around the steering wheel when he saw me reach for my phone—a silent warning.

No one needed to tell me where Sebastian's employees' loyalty lay, it wasn't with me.

To them, his word wasn't just law—it was the command of a king.

The Diamanti crown might be invisible, but its weight crushed everything beneath it.

And you angered the king at your own peril.

Finally, I typed.

Me: Everything's fine. Sorry for Filomena.

Mark: Your future mother-in-law is a real piece of work. I think you need a drink.

I stared at his response, my blood turning to ice in my veins.

My future mother-in-law.

Word had already started to spread of Sebastian's intention to marry me.

No, stop that.

I wasn't a bride-to-be.

I was a sacrificial lamb.

The car wound through traffic, inching closer to the Diamanti palazzo, my home—my prison.