Chapter 15
Astorre Mandredi understood Clara was too good for him and he’d hurt her if she stayed close. And if she stayed, he’d continue to act like an animal in heat instead of the gentleman she deserved. If he was honest with himself, she needed to arm herself against her emotions better.
He heard the shower in the adjoining bathroom go off and sat up in bed, grabbing his pants.
He shouldn’t have taken her again. If he was stronger, he’d have sent her packing.
The fog outside the arrow slits made it impossible to tell the time, but his grumbling stomach made him assume it was lunch.
She came out dressed in white pants and an olive green shirt, as if happy to wear the family colors, but her cheeks seemed sallow. She wasn’t happy, and this was only the beginning of his ruin of her.
