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Dad does too and we’re left to ourselves.
“Going to get the same thing as usual?” he asks.
“Yeah. I guess you are too.”
He nods and smiles. “I try sometimes to do something different but it never works out better than what you’re used to.”
“Yeah.”
Dad looks so normal and so like himself, I can't imagine him any other way. Or that he could be a part of this other life Dante has told me about.
But I saw the pictures for myself. It was enough evidence for me to believe everything else along with what happened to me over the last couple of days.
I was actually taken captive and no one even knew. I played the game so well that no one has even guessed. Not Dad with his overprotective, over the top senses and not Miko my guard. Harper could sense something was off with me not when I told her I was hanging out with Dante, that was the end of her suspicions. She was more happy for me than anything.
“So how was New York?” Dad asks.
“It was great. I had a good time.” It's funny. It doesn't feel bad to lie to him. Maybe because he's always been lying to me. I wonder when it all started or if mom knew. He would've been obviously part of the Bratva before I was born if he knew Dante when he was a child. Dante is eight years older than me.
“That's good to hear, dear.” He nods and offers me a kind smile. “Well, I thought we’d have this dinner by ourselves so we could talk about what’s happening next.”
I narrow my eyes and stifle a groan. “What do you mean?”
“Well, with Matthew out of the picture, I'd still like for you to get married.”
Great.Not this again. We’re not even two minutes into this dinner and he's already talking about something I really, really don't want to hear.
Not that I have to worry about it after Dante gets what he wants. Still, I don’t want to go through the motions of meeting another Matthew, or any other shit associated with that.
“Dad, can’t we just have a break from this. Just a little break. I don't understand the rush in trying to marry me off.”
“There is no rush. It's just something I'd like to sort out. It’s nice seeing Natalie with someone who can take the greatest care of her. I want that for you too.”
“Lawrence and Natalie don’t have a business arrangement.” I give him a pointed stare to highlight a point I’ve made several times before.
“But it’s not that far from it.” He tilts his head and clasps his fingers together on the table. “Matthew was very disappointing. I hope you didn’t have any run-ins with the press while you were away.”
I read about what happened. Dante might have shown all his dark colors over the last few days but how he dealt with Matthew was the only good thing to come out of it.
“Thankfully, the woman he was sleeping with on the morning the police raided his house took the heat off me.” Matthew was with a stripper called Twinkie, of all the names.
Dad looks uneasy at the mention of her. “I never expected that from him, although it wasn't surprising.”
“I'm amazed to hear you say that given he was so perfect in your eyes and you thought someone like that was perfect for me, too.”
“He seemed to tick all the boxes of what I wanted for you in a husband.”
“All the boxes except for whatIwanted.”
He sits back and keeps his eyes trained on me. “Please don't tell me that what you want is Dante Levitsky.”
Whether I want Dante or not, it doesn't matter anymore. He has me.
I belong to him and I still have these feelings bottled up inside me that I don't know what to do with. We can't go back to the way we were before, but that doesn't mean I've just suddenly shut down.
I don't want these feelings because nothing about us is real anymore.
“I didn't say that.” I keep my tone measured. “I told you I stopped seeing him.”
