AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So hectic you haven’t been able to make it to dinner for the last week?”
“My work is important.”
“So is being there for me and your daughter!”
“Iamthere for you and Felicia. I provide—”
“Don’t you get it?” I snap, throwing my hands up in the air. “We don’t needthings, Dom. We needyou!”
My skin feels raw. My head pounds and my eyes sting with angry tears. I didn’t realize how frustrated I was with our situation until this very moment, everything suddenly erupting to the surface. I’m sure we could have avoided this argument had we been given the opportunity to talk, but that’s very well impossible considering how little time I get to spend with him anymore.
“This is the longest we’ve talked in over a week, Dom. How is that acceptable?”
His jaw ticks. “It’s not.”
I huff, the air in my lungs burning red hot. “So what are we going to do about it?”
“What do youwantme to do about it?”
“Take a day off.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You know perfectly well why.”
“Because you’re in the Mob and the big bad Mob men will kill you if you dare to take a mental health day?”
“Do you have to be so damn dramatic?”
I pause, staring at Dominic in disbelief. I care for him. I really care for him, but sometimes it’s like I’m talking to a tree. Big, unmovable, and lacking the ability to hear.
“Is this it?” I ask slowly, my throat unbearably tight. “Is this what I can expect going forward?”
“I have given you a wonderful place to live, the connections you need to further your career,” he says sternly. “Our daughter has all the toys she could ever want, three square meals a day, and when she’s old enough, I’ll ensure she has access to the best education money can afford her.”
“And you really think that’s enough?”
“It was good enough for me. Why can’t it be good enough for you?”
I sigh, my heart twisting angrily in my chest. We’re going around in circles. He’s too stuck in his own ways, blind to understanding that I need more than material goods. Hell, I don’t evenneedmaterial goods to be happy. All I want is his company, his laughter, his warmth. But Dominic is too hard and too proud to understand that.
He’s been molded by a world that taught him money is everything and vulnerability is a weakness. I thought I’d managed to get through his walls, but now I see it’s so much more complicated. These are hang ups that aren’t going to go away any time soon. Not unless something drastic happens, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
Taking a deep breath, I reach into my purse and pull out the all-access pass I intended on giving him. The date and time of my fashion show are printed on the back, along with directions on how to get there.
“This is for you,” I mumble, hating the bitterness coating my tongue. “Ifyou have time.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home, to be with our daughter.” I turn on my heels and reach for the doorknob. I pause, my chest aching painfully. “Do you know that I try to stay up every night waiting for you?”
Dominic’s face falls, his brows knitting together. “Dolcezza, I—”
“And every night, Felicia asks if you can read her a bedtime story.”
“Arin…”
