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“Dom isn’t here anymore, Vincent and I’m partially the reason for that!” I snap a little louder than I needed to. A few stragglers look our way, but for the most part they just think I’m an upset friend. I’ll accept that. For now. The ring on my finger catches the sunlight reflecting through the sky and my heart clenches in my chest. This isn’t fair. Nothing about this is fair.
“I’ll teach you to fight and shoot,” Vincent finally says. I nod my head once and continue to stare at the coffin as its lowered into the ground. A piece of my heart is lowered with it, a piece I’ll never get back. I’ve never known death this up close and personal. I was kept in the dark for the most part, but this is ripping my soul out of my body and covering it with dirt in that hole. This is my world crashing to a halt, but it’s also giving me a new purpose. It’s giving me a reason to keep getting up each day and I know that his father’s demise will be of my making. I will make him pay and then I will tear his family apart person by person. The Dameco family will change, it will thrive and become exactly what Dom wanted it to be. I will make sure of that.
“Is the house cleaned up?” I ask Vincent as the first shovel of dirt hits the top of the coffin.
“It is. Are you ready to head back home?”
“I don’t want to leave him,” I whisper softly as tears continue to stream down my cheeks.
“I know you don’t. If I had the choice, I wouldn’t either. Come, Eva. Let’s get you out of here.”
26
Idon’t know what’s worse, the pain or the anger. Both seem to mix inside of me and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Vincent made up a bunch of lies for the police and Dom’s father. No one knows who he was marrying that day. No one knows it was me.
I run my fingers over the pillow that he used to sleep on, pulling it to my face and inhaling what scent there is left. My heart hurts far worse than I could have ever imagined. I never thought at eighteen I’d be sleeping in my husbands bed alone. I never dreamt that I would be married and widowed in the same day.
After the hurt of what Abby had done subsided, I was looking forward to my time with Dom. He might not have been exactly what I was looking for, but he cared about me and that was enough.
“Are you awake?” I lay his pillow back on the bed and sit up, looking to Vin where he stands in the doorway.
“How could I sleep?”
“Do you want to train?” I nod my head and climb out of bed in my shorts and Dom’s t-shirt. I follow Vin through the house and down into the basement that’s set up like a gym. Dom worked out a lot and wanted everything in the house so he didn’t have to leave. It was smart on his part. It’s been months. Months of training with Vin, months of plotting my revenge. I was never this girl. I never wanted to be this person, but they forced it on me. They forced me into this life and this role and regardless of the outcome I will finish what was started.
“Hands up,” Vin says before throwing a punch. I’ve learned to take those over the last few months too. I’ve worked hard, training every single day. This is what my life has been consumed by. I can’t think of anything else.
“Come on, Vincent!” I roar as he throws small punches my way. I can handle more than that. He listens to my words and throws another punch, harder this time. I block it and raise my hands, my fist ready to fire back.
Vincent and I have gotten close over the last few months. He’s been the best friend I need when I cry. Someone I can rely on when I need them. He’s been everything that Dom was.
“Stop trying to be a man,” he says with a smirk on his face.
“I’m not trying to be a man. I’m trying to handle a man’s punch. There’s a difference,” I remind him. He nods his head and throws another, snapping my head to the side. I know he’s about to apologize for it when I swing and connect with his mouth. Blood blooms on his lip before he smirks at me.
“Nice throw. Keep your guard up,” he says. I raise my hands ready to block my face when he comes back after me. This time he tackles me to the ground and I react. My legs wrap around his waist, holding him in place as his fist comes toward my face. I buck my hips and roll, effectively shoving him off me. Now I’m on top and he does something so out of the blue, I nearly lose my grip. He leans up, his lips pressing into mine. I pull away and climb off him quickly, pacing the floor.
“What the hell was that?”
“I kissed you,” he says.
“No shit. Why?” I ask as he climbs to his feet. He looks at me like I’ve grown two heads before he sighs.
“I’ve wanted to for a while now.”
“I can’t betray him, Vin.”
“He isn’t here, Eva. He’s gone. He isn’t coming back!”
“Don’t you think I know that? I know that, Vincent! That doesn’t mean it’s any easier to move on from. My god I was just married to him.”
“Did you love him?” That’s the question that lingers in my heart. In my head, I’d like to say no. In my head it all makes sense but in my heart? That’s another story. I loved him. There’s no way around that.
“Yes,” I say softly. Vin comes toward me, cupping my cheek in his hand. His touch is softer than Dom’s was, but it doesn’t feel right. Nothing feels right without Dom.
“I know you did. I know he loved you too. I’m sorry, Eva,” he says apologizing. I nod my head and look into his eyes.
“I don’t know how to move on from that. It was brief and quick and I…”
