Chapter 5 Bella's Pov

CHAPTER FIVE

Bella's POV

For a moment, all I could do was stare at Luciano Moretti.

He stood in my tiny living room like he owned oxygen, like he could command gravity itself. His coat was still buttoned, not a wrinkle on him, not a single lock of hair out of place. Meanwhile I was one blink away from falling apart.

He wanted me to pretend to be engaged to him?

Me?

A girl who had just proposed in public because her heart got drop-kicked into a trash can?

Really?

"No," I said, my voice trembling for a whole different reason now. "Absolutely not. I'm not doing any of that."

His eyebrow lifted, so gracefully arrogant it should've been illegal. "You don't have a choice."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

He took a slow step forward, and my lungs forgot their purpose. "This is already public. You and I are in a mess together, Miss Hart. The only way out is forward."

"Forward?" I sputtered. "By lying to the entire world? By...by being your fake fiancee? Are you insane?!"

His lips twitched. "Possibly."

I threw my hands up. "Fantastic. I proposed to a lunatic."

His gaze flickered over my face, lingering a second too long on my mouth. The air between us thickened, heated and charged with something I absolutely refused to name.

I stepped back. He stepped forward.

"Look," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "I didn't mean what I said. I was emotional. Heartbroken. Stupid. Pick any adjective you want, okay? I don't even know you."

"You will," he murmured.

My stomach fluttered-annoyingly-while my brain screamed run. "I don't want to," I snapped.

He tilted his head, studying me like I was an equation he fully intended to solve. "Do you think I want this?" he asked quietly.

"Well... you said 'I do' pretty fast."

"I was curious."

"Curious?" I repeated, incredulous.

"Yes." His voice dropped again, lower, darker. "You didn't run from me. You didn't lower your eyes. You didn't tremble like other people do when they realize who they're standing in front of."

"I did tremble!"

"That was not fear."

My breath hitched. "I-excuse me-what-"

His eyes glinted, as though he could hear the disaster happening inside me. Then, with a faint tilt of his head, he said with a softer tone, "You're overwhelmed. Breathe."

"I am breathing!" I snapped again. "And you're... you're doing that thing."

"What thing?"

"That thing where you act like you're in control of every molecule in this room."

"I am in control of every molecule in this room."

I blinked. "See? This is exactly why I can't do this."

"You must," he said simply.

"Why?" I threw my arms out. "Why me? Why this? Can't you just call your PR team and say I'm clinically insane? Or possessed? Or drunk? I don't care...just fucking pick one."

He stepped closer...dangerously closer. His cologne curled around me, warm and dark, stealing my oxygen. "Because you said, 'Marry me.' And I said I do. And the world heard."

I swallowed, heat crawling up my neck. "Then... then say no."

Luciano's gaze dropped to my lips again. "I don't want to."

A sharp pulse shot straight through my body. I hated the way it made me feel. I hated that he noticed. I hated that he was right about the trembling.

"Get out," I whispered, because my voice couldn't handle anything louder.

He studied me for a long, silent beat which as long enough for my heart to thump embarrassingly loud in my ears. Finally, he nodded once.

"Very well."

He walked toward the door, his presence trailing behind him like a shadow that didn't want to leave. His hand touched the doorknob, but he paused, looking at me over his shoulder.

"Think carefully, Bella," he said softly. "This is bigger than a broken heart."

My pulse jumped. "What does that mean?"

His eyes locked with mine. His gray eyes were stormy. Serious. Too serious.

"Trouble is already coming," he said. "And now? It has your name."

The doorknob clicked just then and he walked out.

I looked at him until he left, my heart beating frantically in my chest as he did so.