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“So did I,” he said, his voice shaking as he continued to stare at the bag on the floor. “She’s gonna hate me. She’s gonna regret ever letting me into her life.”
“She’ll understand someday.”
Carmine clenched his hands into fists as his eyes burned with unshed tears. “This is gonna fucking devastate her.”
“Yeah, it probably will.”
“Great,” he spat, glaring at his father. “Thanks for making me feel better.”
“Do you want me to lie to you?” Vincent asked, raising his eyebrows. “Of course it’s going to hurt her, Carmine. There’s no getting around that.”
“This is fucked up,” he said, shaking his head. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. It wasn’t supposed to end up like this. We’re supposed to be together, get away from all of this bullshit and just be. For once in our fucking lives, we were going to just be, and now look at everything.”
“Are you rethinking this?” he asked. “It isn’t too late.”
“It is too late,” he said. “The moment I went to Sal, it became too late. She’s better than the life I can offer her.”
“Then what do you want me to say, son?”
“I want you to say she’s better off without me, that we’re better off apart.”
“Fine,” Vincent said, “but who’s going to convince you of that?”
His question caught Carmine off guard. He stared at his father pointedly, awaiting some answer to ease his concern, but the mere thought of stepping out of that front door without Haven hurt worse than Carmine ever imagined it would.
Before he could come up with something to say, the front door opened and Dominic stepped inside. He froze when he caught sight of Carmine and narrowed his eyes as he slammed the door. Dominic rarely lost his temper, but when he did another side of him came out that was unpredictable, his words often hurting just as much as Carmine vaguely recalled his fists did.
“I see you haven’t walked out on her yet,” he said, his words cutting deep.
“Leave him alone, Dom,” Vincent said. “You’re just making it worse.”
“I’m making it worse?” he asked with disbelief. “Someone has to try to talk him out of this before he makes the biggest mistake of his life. She’s the best thing that ever happened to him!”
“You think I don’t know that?” Carmine snapped. “She deserves to be free to do what she wants!”
“Then why are you taking that from her?” Dominic asked. “You’re doing this so she’ll be free to do what she wants, but you’re making the choice for her!”
“I can’t let her first decision be whether she follows her dreams or me. What kinda bullshit is that to ask of her? She always worries about everyone else because assholes have beat her down, and I’d be no better than them if I asked her to put me first! She deserves to find out what’s out there for her, whether she realizes it or not.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Dominic said. “Do you even hear yourself? What gives you the right to decide for her—because you know better than she does? Could you be more condescending?”
“Fuck you! I may be what she wants, but I’m not what she needs!”
“According to you,” Dominic spat, stalking forward and getting in Carmine’s face. “But like I said, you didn’t even ask her. You just assumed. Who cares what Haven wants, right? We’ll all just claim to know better than her and make her decisions and pretend it’s what she needs when only she knows.”
“She wants a future, Dominic. She wants to be free.”
“But she isn’t,” he said. “Not as long as people like you are making decisions for her. I thought you were better than that, Carmine, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe you don’t love her, after all.”
The moment the words came from his mouth, rage ran through Carmine. He jumped up, drawing his arm back, and hit his brother with as much force as he could. Carmine’s fist connected with Dominic’s jaw, which made him stagger a few steps, but he lunged for Carmine the moment he gained his balance. Carmine tripped over the duffel bag, his foot tramping on the guitar and smashing through it as Dominic shoved him into the nearest wall. Vincent tried to come between them, but Dominic was too strong. He pinned Carmine there with his left hand as he drew his fist back. Carmine waited for the blow, blindly striking back at his brother, but before Dominic could follow through, a firm voice echoed through the downstairs.
“Enough!”
Corrado started toward them from the kitchen. He shoved Dominic away, physically coming between the two brothers.
“He doesn’t know what he’s saying,” Carmine spat.
“Me? You’re the one fucking up!”
