“I barely met her,” I argued.
“You went out on a limb for her.”
“Because of Caterina.” It wasn’t totally a lie. But for the moment, it was all I was giving Rafe.
And that was the first thing I'd kept from him in a long, long time.
CHAPTER SEVEN: DREA
One Year Later
As I staredinto the mirror, a stranger stared back at me. Before, there had been a young woman comfortable in workout clothes and a ponytail. In her place was a full-blown temptress.
The blood-red dress, if you could call it that, was more lace and beading than actual fabric. It was the most debauched thing I’d ever dared to wear in private, least of all public.
My dark hair flowed in waves down my back, ending just above my hips. The woman who had done both my hair and makeup had called my eyes smoky and sultry.
“Holy fuck,” I muttered in disbelief.
For the second time today, I’d found a stranger in my reflection. The first time had been hours earlier when I stood before a trifold mirror in a twenty-thousand dollar wedding dress. It was everything I’d wanted in a dress as a child playing at being a princess, and at the same time, everything I hated as a woman being forced into a loveless, arranged marriage.
We’d taken the family jet to New York this morning. Although there were numerous high-end bridal shops in Philly, Mother insisted my dress come from the same Vera Wang salon she’d gotten her dress from twenty-six years ago.
“Tradition and luck,” she’d mused to which I’d fought not to show my disgust. At least she hadn’t suggested I wear her gown. It was the one time my curvy figure came in handy.
Her choice of designers was also based on the fact Mother had grown up in New York–the daughter of the Don of the Caprese family. Our New York familia were the reason why we hadn’t flown immediately back to Philadelphia. Instead, we were staying the weekend at one of my grandfather’s properties.
Except tonight I found myself at my cousin, Bianca’s, brownstone. After what had happened with Marco, I’d never expected Mother to let me out of her sight, especially out of town, but she waved me on when Bianca asked me to come to have drinks with her.
Of course, in Mother’s mind, she imagined us at some stuffy upperclass restaurant where Bianca, as a newly married woman at twenty-three, would help guide me into my upcoming role.
What Mother couldn’t fathom was that Bianca’s marriage was lavender, and her husband, Yuri, wasn’t on a business trip but with his boyfriend.
Being in New York made me think of Raphael…and Leandro. Considering how kind my future husband had been in the last year, it felt so wrong to still think of Leo. Unlike the engagements of outsiders, mafia couples didn’t spend much time together before they were married.
Instead of celebrating with Rafe, I’d received presents of diamonds for my twentieth birthday and pearls for Christmas. We exchanged texts from time to time. He always wanted to know if Father was behaving himself, which I appreciated. Somehow me being Rafe’s future bride had Father treating mesurprisingly well. He was still abastardomost days, but not once had he dared to raise a hand to me.
Surprisingly, Rafe formed an alliance with Callum Kavanaugh–the man who had kidnapped Caterina for a marital alliance. She’d been found just a few days after Rafe and I signed our contract. Like Rafe, Callum had sweetened the pot for an arranged marriage by offering Caterina the opportunity to get an education and to have a career. While I hadn’t seen him in person, his pictures from the internet showed he was a handsome catch too.
The only time I’d seen Raphael in person was at his Father’s funeral. Although Father hadn’t told me, I’d learned through the gossip chain how Rafe and his brothers had killed him. I wasn’t horrified at their actions considering Alessio had Caterina kidnapped to force her into marriage with another man despite her being married and pregnant. Thankfully, the torture he’d ordered hadn’t caused her miscarriage.
Although I hadn’t expected to sit with Rafe and his family, Father forced me to Rafe’s side. Whispers floated to my ears that it was because of Rafe’s relationship with Maeve Kavanaugh, the sister of the man Caterina married. Father wanted to remind both Rafe and the underworld attendees that our families were united.
Not only did I find myself awkwardly sitting next to Rafe, but I was also beside Leo. The heat of his body scorched against mine. As Rafe turned to talk to some of his cousins behind us, I dared to look at Leo.
“Are you doing okay?”
“Fucking fabulous. And you?” Leo replied with a cocky smirk.
A nervous laugh bubbled from my lips. “That was a stupid question, huh? I mean, it’s your bastard father's funeral, right?”
“Andrea Caruso, did you just swear in church?” Leo teased.
With a roll of my eyes, I replied, “Says the mafia man.”
Leo laughed. “You got me there.”
“Isn’t it a little odd to have a funeral for your father when you had a part in his demise?”
