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I shake my head, feeling tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. There will be time for crying later. Now is the time for answers.
Chapter 5
Nova
Isit in a chair in the corner and find comfort in the shadows of the darkened hotel room. The gun rests heavily in my lap as the low hum of traffic outside provides a backdrop to my wayward thoughts.
What Vigo said about the conflict between the five families is true. It’s no secret that the Fiore family always wielded the most power. In the beginning, it had been earned. The other families followed out of respect and deference. But times change, and so do people..
Some understood Vigo grieving, having lost loved ones themselves. But the don’s grief twisted him into something else entirely. In a bid to avenge his family, other families suddenly found themselves in the line of fire. Men and women were killed without a single second of remorse, leaving children orphaned and a city in fear. The support he once garnered began to crumble as the man everyone respected became a tyrant.
When you shit all over the people who helped place you on apedestal, nobody holds out a hand to stop your descent when you fall from grace.
The most vocal opposition comes from the Moretti family. If I had to guess, I’d say they are the reason Vigo is so determined to marry me off. There has always been bad blood between them, though nobody knows why. There is no way Vigo would risk the Moretti family stealing his crown, even after he’s dead.
My marriage to Aldo keeps his legacy intact. He’s not thinking about my life, he’s thinking about his throne. Well, fuck him. I’d rather swallow a bullet than tie myself to Aldo.
The lock beeping draws my attention to the door. I keep my hand wrapped around my gun and wait patiently as it opens and the man walks in. He closes the door and flips on the light, cursing in both Italian and English when he spots me.
“What the fuck, Nova? I could have shot you. What are you doing here?”
I don’t point out that I could have planted a bullet in his chest long before he could have even drawn his weapon.
“Hello, Father.”
He frowns at how formal I sound, stepping farther into the room. His eyes drop to the gun in my lap. “Something I need to know?”
“I had a visit from the don today.”
His tense body sags as if all the strength seeps out of him. “You know.” He moves to sit on the bed, his head in his hands. He looks as though he’s aged ten years in the two minutes since he walked through the door.
“So, it’s true?”
That tiny flame of hope I had is snuffed out when he lifts his head and looks me in the eye. “That he’s your blood?Yes.”
“My blood?” I scoff. “Just say it as it is. He’s my father.”
“Is he? It takes more than blood to define parentage. He hasn’t cleaned up your vomit or wiped your tears. That makes you more mine than his.”
I fight back my tears, refusing to give in to them.
“You gave me everything,” I concede. “Except love. And the thing is, I’m not even mad. I’m heartbroken for you. He took your child and put her in danger. And for what? So, he could tie me to a madman?”
He frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“He has ordered I marry Aldo.”
He blinks, his face clear of emotion, except he can’t hide the unease in his eyes.
“I’m torn because if I marry him, I save Gia from the same fate. Is that even her name? How?—”
He holds up his hand for me to stop talking. “Gia’s real name is Gianna. Yours is—was—Galilea. Gia as a nickname sort of fits both, so nobody questioned it.”
“Where did Nova come from?” I ask, though it doesn’t really matter.
“Your middle name is Stella, which means star. Nova is a bright star that fades away. It seemed fitting. To keep you alive, I had to watch all that made you Galilea slowly disappear.”
“I’m sorry for what he did and for what he took.”
