Chapter 172

“What?” I sputter, my eyes flashing between them as Christian turns to me and Lucy goes rigid in her place on the floor, her eyes going wide. “What the hell is going on here!?”

Christian’s hand softly drifts away from its place on Lucy’s head.

“Iris,” Christian says, turning towards me seriously as if nothing is wrong. “I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?”

“What the fuck do you mean where have I been!?” I bite out, storming into the room and gesturing between him and Lucy. “What the hell have you been doing!?”

“Iris,” Christian says, his brows knitting together as he frowns at me. “I don’t like what you’re implying here.”

“What I’m implying,” I stammer out, staring up into his dark blue eyes and continuing to gesture at Lucy, who falls back on her butt and begins to scoot away. “Christian, she’s on her fucking knees!”

“Making a plea for sanctuary,” Christian says, turning to me fully now and starting to get a little angry.

I cough out a little laugh, staring up at him, appalled that he would honestly ask me to believe that. “It didn’t look to me like she was acting for sanctuary – she looked like she was offering to –“

“Enough,” Christian growls, stepping towards me and frowning down into my face. My eyes go wider as I realize that he’s actually mad at me – even though he and she were the ones who –

Who –

I snap my head down to Lucy, suddenly cowed by Christian’s anger and wondering if –

But no. The clear guilt on Lucy’s face as she looks away from me, down at the floor, confirms my suspicions.

I snap my head back up to stare at Chrisitan and whip a finger up between us, pointing directly at his face. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Christian Romano,” I hiss, livid. “I was not born yesterday, and I am not going to accept being gaslighted out of the reality that is plain before my eyes. Now what the fuck is going on here!?”

“Hate to interrupt,” Nico says from the door, dry, and we both turn in surprise to stare at him. How – how long as he been there? “But your brothers are here, Christian.”

Nico slowly, performatively raises his wrist and glances at his watch. And then, even though I know he’s not tired at all, he yawns.

I feel a snarl raising in me at his clear boredom at our drama.

“Thank you, Nico,” Christian says as he reaches out and wraps his hand firm around my upper arm. “Two minutes.”

Nico holds Christian’s gaze for a moment but then shrugs and turns away, heading out of the room.

Christian heads for Lucy’s door, tugging me along with him. I snarl and attempt to pull my arm from his grip, but he doesn’t let me. “Iris,” my husband snaps, turning to glare at me. “Come with me now, and I will explain, and then I have to go. There is more at stake right now than this petty situation.”

“Than our marriage?” I gasp, again appalled, stopping in my tracks so that he is obliged to drag me.

Christian laughs like it’s a ridiculous concept. “Our marriage is not ending over this, Iris. Come on.” He gives a strong tug that sends me stumbling after him into the hall. As I go, I glance back over my shoulder at Lucy –

Lucy, who to my surprise, glares at me as I go. Lucy, who I thought was my friend!

But the pride in the way she raises her chin as she looks me directly in the eye, and the way her mouth wobbles…

God, but I don’t know her at all, do I?

But there’s no time to think on it as Christian grabs the door and slams it shut behind us. “Iris,” he snaps, “I –“

“No, Christian!” I snap up into his face. “I’m not going to –“

“Iris!” he shouts – and the way he does steals all the words from my mouth. For the second time in as many minutes, I just stare at him, perfectly still, shocked.

Christian heaves a heavy sigh, dragging a hand down the length of his face and pulling himself together. When he again raises his eyes to mine, I see that he is collecting himself. “You do not have all of the information you need to understand this situation, Iris,” he says, quiet and even.

I take a step away from him, crossing my arms. “I think I have enough.”

“You do not.” He says it like a fact and looks away from me down the hall, towards the stairs, towards where his brothers are clearly meeting. “And I do not have the time to explain it.”

I just stare up at my husband wondering…god, wondering who the hell he is in this world. Has it always been like this? Is this…is this real Christian? Was I only getting the snippets of him that I wanted to see?

“Iris,” Christian snaps, and I blink back out of my thoughts, focusing my eyes again on his face. He steps forward, reaching for me, but I flinch away. He sighs and clenches his jaw for a moment but then nods once. “Would you please just…trust me? Please? I know what you just saw was bad, and I will explain. But in the meantime can you…please just trust me? As your husband, the man you love, the man who loves you so much he blew up his world for you?”

I hesitate then, realizing that he’s right. That I don’t have the whole story and…that he does deserve my trust, after everything.

Christian steps forward again, reaching for me, and this time I let him cup my cheek in his palm. “Please,” he begs, simple.

I look up into his eyes and hesitate for a second before I nod once.

“Thank you, little wife,” he murmurs, moving closer to press a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll tell you everything. Just…later.”

He looks at me steadily for another moment before nodding again to me, solid, and striding away down the hall. I turn to watch him go, shocked and appalled and…completely having no idea what to do.

And suddenly I’m alone in the hall, just…standing here. Thinking about what I just saw – about what my husband just said – trying to will myself to trust him but…

But also realizing that my gut is still ringing with the truth. Slowly, I turn towards Lucy’s closed door, fully solid in my conviction that she just made a move on my husband.

And he…did not immediately turn her away.

“So,” a woman’s voice says, ringing out in the hall. I stay still for a second before I turn and stare at Giana, standing outside her door, smirking at me with her arms crossed. “What the hell is going on out here?”

I just stare at her, blinking, feeling…completely confused and a little blank.

“Oh geeze,” Giana says, dropping her arms and holding out a hand to me. “Come on, baby mafia wife. Let’s go get you a glass of wine.”

Something about this snaps me out of my reverie. “But it’s like…7:30 in the morning.”

“Fine,” Giana says, giving a casual little shrug. “Let’s have bloody mary’s.”

And something about that – a ridiculous little laugh breaks from my lips.

A smile blooms on Giana’s as she holds out her hand a little further. “Come on,” she says, a little bit of pity in her eyes. “Bianca has really good vodka in the freezer. Let’s go drink it before she takes it away.”

And, despite myself, I find myself starting down the hall towards my sister-in-law, reaching for her hand.