Page 162 of Maddening Fixation

There was something in that look that made my pulse quicken.

A promise.

Then he climbed into the vehicle, the doors slammed shut, and moments later, the convoy began to move.

Slowly, the vehicles passed through the security gates one after another.

Romeo’s men remained frozen, weapons still raised, their eyes tracking every departing vehicle.

The final vehicle disappeared beyond the gates.

Only then did the tension finally begin to loosen.

One by one, Romeo’s men lowered their weapons.

But the silence that followed felt almost as dangerous as the standoff itself.

A hollow ache settled deep in my chest.

I looked at Romeo.

My husband.

The man I had dragged back from death three times.

The man who hated me enough to look at me as though I were nothing more than the daughter of his enemy, yet who, despite that hatred, could at least have pretended to be my husband in front of other men.

But when Zachary had raised his hand to strike me, Romeo hadn’t moved.

He hadn’t stopped him.

He hadn’t even threatened retaliation.

If I hadn’t caught Zachary’s wrist myself, the old man would have slapped me across the face and humiliated me in front of everyone—and Romeo would have stood there and let it happen.

I understood why he had remained silent. He was trying to build trust with the men around him, to keep fragile alliances from collapsing into another war. A single confrontation could turn a business arrangement into a blood feud.

I understood all of that.

But understanding it didn’t make it hurt any less.

He could have protected me without starting a war.

He could have said something.

Anything.

Perhaps even as a simple acknowledgment of the fact that I had saved his life.

Three times.

My gaze dropped.

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat, refusing to let the ache show on my face.

If I hadn’t followed him here today, Romeo would probably be dead.

I lowered my eyes before he could see what his indifference had done to me.