I gave her a wry smile. “You would say that about anyone who wanted to marry me.”

Her eyes tightened. “I’m serious. I hate this. You shouldn’t be in this position. Dante was supposed to marry me. You aren’t supposed to be the one who’s forced into a marriage with your kidnapper.”

I straightened my spine and fixed her with a steady stare. “That was my choice, Giana. I offered myself to Dante, and I declared myself to Luca when he came to claim his enemy’s fiancée. It’s too late to take it all back. And besides,” I reasoned, “Luca doesn’t treat me badly. He says Dante is a sadist. You saw what Dante did to Giorgio when Father arranged the engagement. He’s erratic and violent. He scares me far more than Luca does. I didn’t want to marry either of them, but Luca saved me from that fate. And he’s determined to protect me from Dante now.”

No one had ever protected me before, not even my own mother when she’d been alive. She’d loved me, but she hadn’t said a word when my father ordered his men to dole out punishments; she’d been utterly devoted to my father and believed that it was his right to discipline his children as he saw fit.

I met Giana’s gaze squarely. “I think Luca might be a good match for me,” I admitted, hearing the truth in the words. I wasn’t simply placating my sister with a pretty lie. “He seems to genuinely like my company, and I believe him when he says he wants to make me happy. I can’t ask for more than that.”

And he wrung more pleasure from my body than I’d known was possible. My cheeks heated, and I pushed away thoughts of his powerful hands pinning me down, utterly dominating me as he forced me to experience dark ecstasy.

Giana didn’t have to know about that part of my marriage. Despite my secret enjoyment of what he did to me, it was still shameful.

There were worse things than a lifetime of pleasure and safety. Luca offered me both. In fact, he insisted upon it. He was relentless in his seduction, and he’d killed to protect me.

“You deserve to be loved,” Giana declared.

I shook my head. “That’s not realistic, and you know it. I’m trying to make the best of my situation. I don’t have to be miserable forever, and Luca has been good to me. I’m choosing to give him a chance.”

My sister let out a low hum, thinking it over. “Building you a dance studio is thoughtful and romantic.”