Chapter Forty-Four: Hotcakes

"Olivia-"

Matteo rushes towards me as soon as I leave his car; my legs feel like jelly so I can’t move any faster, so when he holds my wrist, I don’t fight him.

“Matteo, I don’t want to talk.”

“I will not apologise for anything, but I think we need to clarify this birth control thing.”

“Oh my God, you know just what to say. I wonder how long you stayed single before you bound me to a contract.”

“Sarcasm is beneath you.”

“You know what else is beneath me? Seeing a man who would put a bomb in my suitcase and risk blowing me up!”

Tugging my hand from him feels fruitless; the man is ridiculously strong, so instead, I dig my heel to his feet, and he winces before loosening his grip on my wrist enough that I walk away from him.

“Olivia! We aren’t- fuck, how much do you weigh. I think you broke my toe!”

“Good!”

The moment I enter my room-the guest room- I lock it and lean on the door. My back stings slightly from the wounds that were treated at the hospital, but more than that, my heart feel