Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
He did not even feel betrayed, and it was this, more than anything else, that set him on edge. Had he fooled himself all this time? Was Ynez right after all, when she had sobbed about him not really loving her at all, if he was so readily able to throw her out of his life in the name of duty?
'Just admit it! You never loved me! Never!'
Pride and impatience had made him deny her claims during their last fight, but only now, when it was already too late, that Massimo realized she was right all along. Ynez had intrigued him the first night they had met, and the way thoughts of her had obsessively consumed him led Massimo to mistake his feelings for love.
All he felt now was regret for wasting years of his girlfriend's life. He had known from the start that she had marriage in mind, but he had never taken the time to examine whether it was something he truly wanted as well.
I am sorry, Ynez.
Even though he had already informed her days ago about his arranged marriage, Ynez had refused to acknowledge their breakup. She had been bitter and almost volatile as she lashed out in her pain, and after what he had just witnessed, Massimo knew there was only one way for Ynez to move on.
He had to be ruthless for kindness' sake...with the help of Ynez's own sister and his future bride.
Six
Ysabel
I've completely lost track of time while struggling to wrap my head around what I saw in our apartment.
Ynez is fucking another man while dating Massimo Marchetti.
I think it's only been minutes since I ended up standing outside the convenience store across from our apartment building, staring blankly into space.
Or maybe it's been hours, with how the muscles at the back of my legs have started aching a little. I honestly have no idea. The world seems to have stopped making sense, the moment I saw my sister cheating on the man I've been so desperately trying hard to forget.
"Ysabel?"
My head jerks up at the familiar voice, and I'm not sure what to feel when I see it really is Romana standing in front of me, and a pack of beer cradled in her arms.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
Romana has been by my sister's side since they were kids, and she never seemed to mind whenever Ynez treated her more like a slave than a best friend. She probably loves Ynez as much as I do, but...
"Hey!" The other girl looks at me in surprise when I suddenly drag her with me to the back of the store, where we're less likely to be heard.
"What's wrong with you?" Romana asks plaintively.
"What's wrong with me?" It's a struggle to keep my voice low, and the only reason I manage to is because I know what it's like to be on the bad side of a powerful famiglia—-which is the fate that we're all flirting with. "What's wrong with you? How can you let Ynez do something so crazy?"
Romana stares at me oddly. "Are you drunk?"
"Are you still high?" I retort. "I saw you, Roms. You were passed out cold in our living room—-"
"So?"
"—-while Ynez and Jovanni were having sex in my room."
Romance's laugh is obviously forced. "You must be mistaken—-"
"I saw them," I hiss under my breath. "I heard them. So it's no use lying to me about it. Was it my sister or Jovanni who told you to pretend to be his girlfriend so they could get away with their affair? Can you imagine what Massimo and his family would do to all of us once he finds out Ynez has been cheating—-" My voice breaks off when Romana suddenly stalks past me and dumps the entire pack of beer in the garbage bin.
What in the world?
Romana walks away without looking back, and my stomach turns upside down when I see the other girl enter our apartment building.
Shit.
Is she going to tell Ynez I know about her affair? Will my sister then demand that I keep my mouth shut for her sake? Ynez has the tendency to fly into a rage whenever things don't go her way, and I don't even want to think about all the crazy things she could try to do just to have me do her bidding.
Perché, Ynez? Why do you have to cheat on him? Why?
I'm all thumbs as I take my phone out and type #masnez in search of any recent photos that might give a clue about the possible breakdown of their relationship.
Hmm...
Massimo's most recent photos were all of him looking like a tuxedo-clad James Bond while he plays best man in his brother's wedding. This was a week or so ago, and I belatedly remember how Ynez mentioned that she'd gotten into a fight with Massimo about it. He had apparently refused to ask Cesare's bride to include her in the entourage, and so she had made him "pay" for his sins by not attending the event.