Chapter One Hundred and Seventy- Nine
That made him turn fully to her, surprise clear on his face. "Because you think I'm doing the same thing to your dad?" he asked. "Mine has retired, if you have any fight, it should be with me."
"It's a long-standing grudge," she said simply. "One that didn't start with you." She curled her fingers into her palms, remembering all that Marco had told her about Ahmet's father and her family.
Her jaw tightened. The muscles in her face drew hard, as if she were holding something feral behind her teeth.
"Do you care to explain?" he asked, brow creasing, confusion sharpening into concern.
She hesitated. Just long enough for the room to feel smaller. Then she spoke, low, like saying it louder might make it real again. "He killed my parents and my entire family."
The silence that followed felt like a slap.
His stillness only fed the heat in her chest. She turned toward the door, anger pushing her forward.
