Chapter 13- Mark, Stop
Lucia The Petersen Gallery glisted like a jewel in the night. Its modernist façade of glass and steel gleamed under strategically placed lighting creating the allusion that the entire building flowed above the ground. Through the vast windows, I could see the city’s elite moving like shadows among the exhibits, their laughter and conversation mixing with the soft notes of live piano music filtering out into the street. Champagne flutes sparkled in their hands, and as always, reputations were being built and dismantled in whispers exchanged under dimmed chandeliers.
And there, occupying the mid wall, was me
My bareback stretched across the enormous canvas, dark hair tumbling down in soft waves. My shoulders, tense and exposed, gave the paiming a raw vulnerabilży. My face was tilted slightly, just enough to hint at something, but not enough to reveal Mark had captured more than my image he’d captured a piece of my soul, preserved on that camas for all the world to see.
I’d forgotten what it felt like to be that girl. To believe, even for a moment, the love was stronger than duty,
I forced my feet to move, stepping into the gallery’s wann glow.
We had met at universay, in an art history class t had taken on a whim. We’d spent our days reansing the city, finding beauty in abandoned buildings and graffiti–covered alleys. He’d paint me in those quiet moments, capturing the side of me I never showed the world.
For a time, had been perfect. But perfection never bsted. My family had stepped in, reminding the of who I was and what was expected of ine. Mark had found out the truth about my funily in the worst way. I’d told him some of it, but when he learned some extent of our world, it had already shaken him to his core. I saw the fear in his eyes, the hesitation in his touch. He’d loved me, but he couldn’t reconcile that love with the darkness of my world.
In the end, I’d made the choice for han. Het him go.
There You are.”
The voice broke through my reverie, and I med sharply. Mark stood in the shadows of an alcove, just outside the gallery’s entrance. He looked. different. The trangling artist in paar stained jeans was gone, replaced by a man who radiased confidence. His perfectly adored sat clung to his frame, and his dark hair was casually tousled in the effortless way that spoke of success. The boy I’d loved had become a man who commanded
shouldn’t be here,” I said, glancing around nervously. Dame’s men would be nearby. They always were. Watching Waiting, Protecting “But here you are.” Mark stepped closer, the faint scent of his cologne stirring memories I didn’t want to face. It was the same blend of an supplies, spices, and something uniquely him. “You got my message”
D–Mark
“He’s dangerous, Lucia. Ha voire was low, urge. “I’ve found out things about him. About the Romano family.”
“Stop.” I said sharply, raising a hand to cut him off. “I didn’t come here to discuss Dante.”
“Then why did you come?”
Good questions. Why had I risked so much to come here? Was it a confront my past To prove to myself–and to Dante that I wasn’t under his control? Or was it because, deep down, I needed to know what Mark had discovered”
This painting has to come down.” I said finally. “It’s causing trouble.”
“Trouble in your perfect political marriage?” His laugh was bacter, devoid of humor. “Tell me, Lucia. Does he know you’re here? Your controlling fiance, with his elaborate plans and hidden agenda?”
Iflinched, but refused to let him see how his words cut. “You don’t know him.”
“I know enough.” Mark’s eyes burned with Instration. “Lucia, he’s dangerous. I love proof.”
“Proof” Tcrossed my arms, trying to maintain some semblance of control. “What are you talking about?”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a 125B stick. “Financial records, Police reports of mysterious disappearances. Witnesses who suddenly change their testimony. Your dear Dante isn’t just a businessman playing politics. Hexa.“
“A Roman,” Lintermipted, my voice cold. “Yes, Mark. I know exactly what he is. What his family is What my family is.”
“And that doesn’t bother you” He stepped closer, his voice rising with caution. The violence? The corruption? The lica!”
“You’ll never understand our world” I said quietly, lowering my gaze. Mark had always been so idealistic, so black–and–white in his view of the world.
It was part of what I’d loved about him. But it was also why we could never work. “It’s not that simple.”
“It could be simple.” he insisted, his voice softening. He reached out, his fingers brushing against my arm. “Leave with me Just like we planned. before. I have the money now. The connections. I can protect you
“From what!” My voice cracked, and I hated the vulnerabilay that slipped through “From my family! From my own choices?”
“From him,” Mark said, his voice filled with determination. “You don’t have to stay trapped in this world. Lacia. We can go anywhere. Start over, Be happy,”
For a moment, Hei myself imagine it. A life far away from the Valentinis and the Romanos. A life where I wasn’t bound by duty and loyalty. A life where I could just br
But it was a fawasy. And I’d stopped believing in fantasies a long time a
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Chapter 13 Mark, Stop
“You don’t understand,” I said finally, stepping back. “My family isn’t just a part of my life. Mark. They are my life. My blood. My responsibility. I can’t walk away from that”
“Even if it destroys you?” he asked, his voice breaking. “Even if it means giving up everything you are?”
1 hesitated, the weight of his words pressing down on me. “You think you know me, Mark. But you don’t. Not anymore
“I know enough to see that you’re not happy,” he said, stepping closer again. “I know that you’re stronger than this. That you deserve more than being a pawn in their games.”
“This isn’t about what I deserve,” I said, my voice steadying, “It’s about what needs to be done. My family needs this alliance. My father needs this alliance. And L.” I fahered, my throat tightening. “Imade my choice a long time ago.”
Mark’s hand tightened around the USB stick. “And what about what you need, Lucia? What about your happiness Your freedom?”
“Happiness is a luxury I can’t afford.” I whispered “Not in this world.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” he said desperately. “We can…”
“Mark, step,” interrupted, my voice sharp. This conversation is over”
“It’s not over,” he insisted. “‘ll never be over, Lucia. Not as long as you’re with him.”
Iturned away, my heart pounding. I needed to leave Now. Before I said something I couldn’t take back. Before Dante
“From what?” A new voice cut through the might like a knife.
1 froze, the sound of Danne’s deep, controlled voice sending a chill down my spine. Slowly, I turned, finding him standing at the edge of the gallery’s light, his dark eyes locked onto Mark with an intensity that promised violence.
Dance was here.
