Gianni had woken up something wild and hot within me.
Because of that, for a moment, I had let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I could embrace this marriage.
This life.
That maybe—in the darkness that surrounded us—I could find something real.
Something worth fighting for.
But of course, just as I was starting to think that way, Gianni had gone and done something completely stupid.
You know what? Fuck this.
I looked around again for something to put on.
What the hell was he thinking, leaving like that?
My anger rose.
Well, you forced me to do this, so guess what? I’m forcing you to tell me!
I reached for a robe draped over a nearby chair.
The nerve of him!
When I put on the robe, the silky fabric slid over my skin. It was a poor substitute for the heat of Gianni’s body, but it was better than sitting there naked, confused, and vulnerable.
The nerve of him. The utter fucking nerve.
I tied the sash tightly around my waist.
Gianni was a big, bad guy that cut off hands and liked to kill people. He was the fucking devil, but still. . .I wasn’t going to let him get away with this.
If Gianni thought he could just walk out on me—leave me confused—he had another thing coming.
I was his wife now, wasn’t I?
The Don’s wife.
And it was high time I started acting like it.
A small shiver of fear hit me, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it.
No time to be scared. This isn’t that sort of life. Fear just makes you weak in this world.
I swallowed.
The more you stand up for yourself the more respect is given. I remember that lesson for sure.
With that thought in mind, I marched over to the door.
I didn’t care what kind of secret business he had; I was going to find out what was so important that he had to leave me alone and naked on our wedding night.
Fucking asshole!
I swung the door open.
Now I had two different sets of guards stationed outside the suite—my twins, and Gianni’s two men. Some of my other men had moved their positions by the elevator, stairwell, and other areas in the hallway.
