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"Do you think I’d have slept with you if I knew that I was going to get married?"
"You tell me."
His jaw hardens, his lips flatten and a coldness enters his features. "The answer is no. I resisted the idea of an arranged marriage, hoping to find someone of my choosing. And I did. Only she’s in love with someone else, isn’t that right?"
I swallow, hesitate, then nod. "That’s right."
He narrows his gaze. "Which is why I moved ahead with the arranged marriage."
"Within days of our breaking up?” Not that we’d been together. A one-night stand does not a relationship make. I curse myself for saying that aloud. Jesus, how insecure do I sound? But I can’t help it. The scar on my cheek is not even properly healed, and he’s moved on.
It hurts; I admit, it hurts. I thought when I forced him to walk away from me it was heart-breaking. That’s nothing compared to the claws that have dug their hooks into my soul and are playing merry havoc. It’s like my insides have been put through a wood-chipper, and mutilated beyond recognition.
"You told me you didn’t love me." His shoulders flex and he steels himself. "And my family needed one of us to go through with the arranged marriage. Considering Adrian, here, is nursing a not-so-secret crush on Michael’s housekeeper, it seemed I was the person for the job. Besides, I needed to get over you fast."
A nerve pops at his temple. His silver eyes are so light they are like colorless pools of glass. Yet, his stance is relaxed, as if he fought an internal battle with himself and won it. As if he’s moved on already.
"And, are you over me?" I hold his gaze in the mirror.
He tilts his head, a serious look in his eyes. "Yes."
20
Massimo
Liar. What a fucking liar I am.
And what else could I say? Of course, I’m over her. I have to be; I’m getting married to her sister. This is the only way forward. I allowed myself to feel for her. In my entire life, I never made a spontaneous decision, except with her, and where did that get me? She sent me packing, for another man. A man she’s still in love with. She was never mine. She always belonged to another. It’s time to accept that and move on.
I transfer the chain with the horseshoe pendant from my shirt to the pocket of my pants, then wipe down my shoes. After a quick wash, I change into the clothes Adrian brought me.
When I re-enter the conservatory, the group turns to watch me approach. My younger brother, Seb and his wife Elsa, have their arms around each other. My other brother, Axel, leans against a windowsill, his wife Theresa pressed into his side. Christian and his wife Aurora, who is also the doctor for theCosa Nostra,are talking in low tones to each other, and the newlyweds Luca and Jeanne? They’re holding hands and gazing at each other with a nauseatingly 'in love' look on their faces.
These are the Sovrano Seven? The men who run theCosa Nostraand who are feared for their violent pasts? The fuck happened to us? Falling in love and finding women turned us into pussy-whipped motherfuckers.
On the other side of the room, I sense theCamorrawatching me with as much interest. My fiancée-to-be is seated in a chair on the far end. She looks like she wants to approach me, but knowing how the Mafia ingrain correct protocol into their women, she probably won’t. Thank fuck for that. I have to face Via, no doubt, just not yet.
Michael, my oldest brother and the Don of theCosa Nostra,stands next to a seated woman. His wife, Karma, has her hands over her belly. She’s nearly three months along and beginning to show. Michael grips the chair behind her head, his stance protective. They both watch me as I close the distance between us.
"You okay?" Karma asks softly.
"I will be." I tilt my head.
"You don’t have to do this, or at the very least, we can push back the engagement a few more days to give you some time."
Next to her, Michael shifts his feet. He and I both know it sends the wrong message to theCamorraif we ask for more time. Between Mafia clans, honor is everything, and saving face is why we do most things. To bring both families together, only to push things back, would be taken as an insult. It would escalate the tension between us and leave us vulnerable to possible attacks.
"It’s too late." I widen my stance. "My mind is made up."
"She’s right, though." Michael scans my features. "Better to call off the engagement if you’re unsure, than to take it all the way to the altar, only to find you can’t go through with the wedding."
"That won’t happen." I set my jaw. "I want this marriage."
"Didn’t seem that way when you rushed out earlier, dragging her sister along."
"I didn’t know they were related. Had no idea she was part of theCamorra." I thrust my hand in my pocket.
"Where did you meet her?" Karma asks.
