“Murder isn’t a relaxation tactic, Amelia! It’s a matter of life and death,” Zane snarls at me, his eyes glaring at me from across the room. “You told me you didn’t want to do that anymore. You wanted your brother away from it so he didn’t become so corrupt, but you showed him exactly how corrupt you are. You proved the lengths you’ll go for love.”
“Exactly! I did it because I love you. It wasn’t exactly easy for me to do,” I strive to argue my case, but it seems futile. He’s obviously been here stewing on this all day, and there is no getting through to him.
“What because throwing poison in a drink is so fucking hard! I’m surprised you’ve not done Daddy’s work on me by now!”
I shake my head in dismay and take another exhilarating breath. “Big Al taunted me with your shooting,” I remark, as if it’ll make the blindest bit of difference. “Yes, I had gone there to kill him for it, but he told me how you begged and pleaded for your life, Zane. It was too much. He had me pinned against the floor ready to rape me when he told me how you begged not to be killed. That only fueled my hate far more than seeing you in that hospital bed.”
I see recognition glimmer in his eyes, and he looks at me, but I know his decision has been made and this is our point of no return.
“I told you in the beginning I had changed, and you kept telling me I hadn’t. I so wanted that to be true, but now you know the real me,” I tell him, trying to be at my most honest. “Now, you know the true me that became of you leaving me.” I can hear in my voice how raw I have become. “But I thought there was always hope because you still loved me. Even after finding the vial and learning of what I did for my father, you still loved me with everything you had.”
“I guess I never wanted to believe you could have changed that much. I lived in denial,” he remarks, and although his voice is still hoarse, he’s calmer than before. “But I can’t be with someone who will always, always do her father’s bidding. You aren’t someone I can trust to grow old with. You aren’t even someone I can trust sleeping next to anymore. This has changed it all, and I hate that I realized a lot of things too late.” Although his voice is calm, I can tell there is a storm raging in him. “When you said we had changed since our last meeting, I was so convinced we hadn’t, but I see it now. You aren’t the girl I fell in love with. You’re a born and bred murderer who just keeps wanting that approval from her father. You have to see that.” Zane’s eyes begin to water on him, and he flares his nostrils to keep from completely breaking down. “He tore us apart once, now, along with your help, he’s done it again.”
“Please, don’t do this,” I say, begging with him. "I only ever did it for you, Zane. You have to see it my way. I had to fight to keep you safe."
"Keep me safe?" he snorts in my direction. "You keep saying that, but from who? Because the only dangerous person I see here is you, Amelia! You are manipulative and destructive, and you lie to get your own way."
"No," I gasp and shake my head viciously. "I lied about the murders because I never wanted to disappoint you, but I couldn't let those men win. I couldn't let them live after seeing you in that hospital bed. I was so betrayed that I had been underestimated and someone had chosen to kill you."
"If you remember rightly, you chose to kill me, too!" Zane's retorts are getting snappier and his face is reddening with palpable anger. "That's the only reason we got back together!"
"No, it's not," I murmur, hurt by that accusation. "I could've killed you had I never trusted you to love me! Even after the first time, after you tore my fucking heart out, I trusted you again to love me, all of me. And you did. You healed me. You knew what I was, and you still loved me. You said so yourself. Now, you've decided to turn your back on that because I did one of the only things I knew to do – protect those I love."
"This isn't you protecting those you love," he replies, laughing incredulously. "This is you exerting your need to be awarded by your father! To prove a point. To mark your territory. Anything to show your father you’re not expendable like he’s made you feel! Well, well done, Amelia! I hope his praise will keep you warm at night because I won't be!"
“Don’t do this,” I say, my tone is down to a plea now. “Don’t turn your back on what we have like this. I will tell you everything. I’ll tell you how my father wanted me to go out and kill a man with Giovanni tonight, but I couldn’t do it! Zane, I kept thinking of you and how I wanted you to run with me. I hesitated because I can’t kill anyone anymore. The last three kills were my last. They were like my swan song, I swear!”
“You rammed a stiletto heel into a man’s throat,” Zane growls to me. “That’s a pretty vicious swan song to have!”