He drove silently through the nightly traffic in the city.

There was no longer any tension between us. Just resignation. Exhaustion, and sadness.

The tension, anger, and betrayal seemed to have evaporated after throwing a knife at him.

Though it was only part of it, I knew I couldn't entirely trust him right now.

I got so lost in thoughts that I hardly noticed when he turned to go into an underground lot, located under one of the most expensive buildings in the city.

Hm. Since when had Anthony moved into this overdone crackerbox? And why was he no longer living with his parent?

"You, live here?" I asked, in amused disbelief, as he shut off the car, and quickly got out.

"I do, but it's more of a temporary place, to be alone. I use this as a getaway. Not many people know that I have or own this place and I'd like to keep it that way." He told me as we made our way towards the elevator.

I scoff a laugh as I follow him onto the elevator, and blink when he has to input a code onto the elevator to go up.

"Let me guess you live in the penthouse?" I asked.

He nods, "This is my private elevator. No one goes up unless I say so. The code gets changed every other week to make it harder to access." He informs me.

I hummed in response as I leaned back on the cool surface of the side of the elevator.

"So," I say, noticing that he is staring ahead.

"So," He repeats in the same tone.

But I remain quiet.

"You want to clear the air?" He finally asks.

I sigh, "It's not so much clearing the air, than it is wanting to be alone." I admit.

He frowns as we both turn as the elevator pings and the doors slowly slide open.

An emotion flashes in his eyes, as he hums and gestures for me to go in.

I slowly make my way into the penthouse apartment. Noting immediately that it has an open layout.

The walls are a tone of cream and white, creating an ombre effect just like that one place we visited on one of our escapes. They were all decorated with unique artwork pieces.

"Sit, please." Edward instructs.

I stand there for a second before moving to sit on the overstuffed cream colored L- sectional.

"You said you forgave me." He finally states.

I nodded, "I have." I replied with a sigh.

"so, why are you still hesitating?" He asked.

I stared at him before sighing when I see that he has the lost puppy dog eyes.

"Because it took you too long to realize that you were distancing yourself. Before all of this happened the only thing we did was argue, have sex, and argue some more. Do you not see that? How are we supposed to get married if that is how you are going to treat me whenever a problem arises?" I ask.

He frowns, "We did not." He immediately denies.

I give him a disbelieving look before realizing that he really thinks we were okay.

I stood up and shook my head as I turned to look out the glass wall that overlooked the city.

"Amore, talk to me. Don't shut me out." He says, as he follows me.

I shake my head again as I stare out the window down, realizing that it has begun to rain, yet again.

The weather seemed to match my mood. Go figure.

"You promised. Remember? You promised to always speak to me. To be open with me, to never hide shit from me. And you failed. Do you know how hurt and angry I was when I found out? The pain of betrayal wouldn't leave me for a long time." I finally said, blinking as I looked up at him.

He shifted his stance, "I am sorry that I hid many things from you. I was more worried about you being safe and away from this world that I didn't realize I broke many promises to you." He admitted.

I let out a wet, choked laugh, "That's not even the beginning of it. You became a stranger overnight to me. I was struggling, no, drowning in despair. And you didn't notice. Edward, I bet you don't know anything about me anymore." I finally say.

He shakes his head, "Honesty works both ways, Isa. You think I didn't notice? I did. I heard you crying at night. I felt when you closed yourself off to me. So, don't you dare lay all the blame on me." He snaps.

I give him a scoff, and wipe my face with the back of my hand. "The thing is… I did try. Many times. But you never made it easy. So, by the time I walked away. I didn't have a doubt. My pain, my hurt, my trauma, my problems. Everything I dealt with on my own. And I still protected you when the time came to do so. So, who is in the wrong here, Edward?"

He sighed and remained quiet.

I nodded to myself, "Right. I just got my answer. We may have to marry in front of the famiglia. To act like we are happy and in love. But the truth is I can't allow myself to love you again. Not when you are unwilling to see the problem." I finally say before moving to walk away.

He shakes his head, "I fucked up. I know I did. But I am paying for it, tenfold. You said you forgave me. So, what do I need to do to prove that I've changed?" He asked.

I look at him, and shake my head, "It's not that simple, Edward." I finally told him.

He frowns, "Why not?"

I swallow hard, and look away, "Because. I want sappy, chessy shit. That I know I shouldn't want. I want to be wined and dined. I want the fucking forehead kisses. I want the hugs from behind when I am doing something. I want the little things that matter. I want spontaneity. I want you to make an effort. But you? Don't seem to think I am worth the effort, and that's what hurts the most." I say before walking away.

I only managed to make it a few steps before I felt him turn me to face him.

Determination on his face as he looks down at me.

"You seem to be under the impression that I am going to allow you to walk away again. I'm not." He says.

"I'm not leaving. I have nowhere to go anymore. I was putting distance before I did something stupid. Like allow you to be near me again." I replied, quietly, in defeat.

He smiles as his hand finds the side of my face. "You said you wanted spontaneity. Does this count?" He asks quietly as the lights flicker off, and the room lights up from the lightning outside.

Those eyes holding me captive, and doing things to my body that I thought went dormant long ago.

A smile slowly finds its way onto my lips as I stare up at him. "That depends..." I whispered.

"On what?" He asked me.

"On whether or not you're going to take me to bed." I replied smiling.

He grins at me before lowering his lips to mine.