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I was desperately, hopelessly in love with a man who would never be mine.
* * *
“Oh my God,Sia, you look amazing.” Bella peeked around the bathroom door and grinned.
“I told you to wait.”
“I know but you were taking too long.” She came further inside. “What’s the matter?”
“Is it… too much?”
“Too much? Have you seen yourself, you look beautiful, Sia.”
I studied myself in the mirror. The jade green dress complimented my tan skin. Cinched tight at the waist, the silk fell over my hips and down my legs like a glistening waterfall. But the slit that ran up one thigh was a little risqué, more so than I was used to.
“I love the sweetheart neckline. So pretty.” Bella fingered the thin straps. The back dipped low, revealing the expanse of my spine, another feature I wasn’t so sure about.
“Don’t look so worried,” Bella said, swishing her own dress.
In typical Bella fashion, it was a bright pink princess gown. Over the top, bold, and of course, it looked like it was made for her.
“You look amazing.”
“So do you. Now come on, we don’t want to be late for our own party.” Her brows knitted and then a slow grin spread over her face. “Actually, we should totally be late. Just enough to make a grand entrance.”
The thought irked me.
I didn’t like being in the spotlight, preferring to stay back and let Bella shine.
She was my best friend, my cousin, the one person who knew me better than anyone. We’d grown up together in a world dominated by men. Our brothers. Our fathers. Their associates. The Family. In a place like Verona County, when your father, brother, uncles, and cousins were all mafioso, true freedom was a luxury I had little experience of.
If I wanted to go to the movies or on a date—not that I dated—or to the gym, Jay, my bodyguard had to come along. I understood the need for precaution, the family had enemies a plenty, and we’d been through too much over the last few years to become complacent. But it was… exhausting. I had everything I could ever want, and yet the thing I craved the most would always be out of reach.
Because I was Alessia Marchetti, the only daughter to Antonio Marchetti and sister to Niccolò Marchetti.
A mafia princess.
I suppose I was lucky that my brother and father didn’t want to marry me off to the son of some influential family to strengthen their position in Rhode Island. They would never use me like that. But that didn’t mean being a female in the Marchetti family didn’t come with responsibilities.
When—if—I ever met someone, I would be faced with the dilemma of either lying to them about my family and our history, or entrusting them with the truth. It was a burden I didn’t care to carry, which is probably why I had very little experience with men.
I wasn’t like Bella who could compartmentalize the different parts of her life. Besides, it was easier for her. Her father, my uncle Michele, had married into the Family. He was one of my father’s captains but he and my aunt Marcella still retained some level of normalcy.
She made sure of it.
“Come on, babe. It’s time.”
“Yeah.” Another weak smile tugged at my lips.
I wanted to be excited about the party. Genevieve, my father’s fiancée, had gone to a lot of trouble planning the perfect celebration with Nora and Caitlin, my cousins’ girlfriends. Nora was six months pregnant and already on maternity leave due to some complications, so she’d jumped at the chance to help plan the party. Much to her boyfriend Enzo’s annoyance. If he had his way, he’d tie her to their bed and never let her leave. But if anyone had a right to be extra protective, it was Enzo. A couple of years ago, Nora had been kidnapped. Twice. My cousin had always been a brooding hothead but something changed after Nora was hurt. He changed. Girls dreamed of having a guy who would burn down the world for them—Enzo Marchetti was that guy.
I couldn’t imagine ever knowing that kind of love.
Pushing the loose curls out of my face, I grabbed my purse, following Bella out of her room. Aunt Marcella was at the hotel helping Genevieve put the final touches on everything, and Uncle Michele was doing whatever he and my dad liked to do when the women were fussing.
Bella checked her cell phone and grinned. “Jay and Tristan are waiting downstairs in the car.”
Just the mention ofhisname sent a thrill through me. But it was quickly chased away by an icy cold blast of jealousy.
