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“Well, I have to ignore it. I have no other choice. Do you know what the craziest part about him breaking my heart is?” I turned to face her as she stared into my eyes and shook her head. “That what hurts the most isn’t about what he did or didn’t do, or the betrayal of it all, it’s knowing that he never loved me.” A tear slid down my cheek as I wiped it away quickly. “And I was a fool because I believed he truly did. That everything I was feeling, he was feeling too. I told him I loved him. And he never said it back. Those words never left his lips. Not even when he proposed to me.”
“He proposed to you?” She sat up straight in shock, her mouth hanging open. I fell back into the chair as I pulled my hair up into a messy bun to distract myself. “When?”
“The night before Gio came to the South. It was obviously his final middle finger to me. To get my hopes up that he wanted a future with me, that he was going to ask Gio for a marriage alliance and we would all live happily ever after. When, in fact, he was planning the opposite.”
“Elle, that’s…”
“Fucked up? Yep,” I groaned, picking up my cocktail and taking a large gulp.
“I was going to say… unbelievable. And you are positive that all this is true? Even though you haven’t heard it from him directly.”
My nostrils flared and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly when the image of him fucking Isabelle entered my mind. He’d fucked her in Venice. The same week he met me at the club. And again after he proposed to me. What more proof did I need that he didn’t give a shit about me?
“Can we change the subject please?” I snapped and she nodded slowly.
“I heard you spent some time with Enzo yesterday,” she stated as I tilted my head to the side. We had walked the gardens for hours, chatting about nothing in particular. It was refreshing and a good distraction. He never once mentioned what had happened in the South or anything about all the drama. We talked about art, about Cami and Max and he told me a bit more about his childhood and growing up in the Aiani clan. I was surprised by how easily our conversation flowed and how down-to-earth he was. I had built up an image of him in my head over the years as a young man who was a bit of a pushover. Someone who just wanted to please my brother and become a ruthless mafia boss. But that wasn’t the case at all. He actually knew his own mind. He was passionate and opinionated. In fact, we were very similar in many ways that I had never noticed before. Probably because I had never taken the time to notice.
“I did. It was a nice distraction. And he never once looked at me with pity which was refreshing,” I smiled as her eyes widened.
“I don’t look at you with pity! I just… feel awful that you are going through this. That’s all,” she argued and I nodded, reaching for her hand.
“I know, Liv. You’re a good friend.”
We fell into silence for a few minutes, but I could tell there was something she was dying to say. For some reason, she was biting her tongue.
“What is it?” I narrowed my eyes on her as I lifted my sunglasses on top of my head.
“Did Enzo mention anything about… marriage?” she asked carefully.
I let out a half laugh, half sigh as I shook my head. “No. Why?”
“I shouldn’t say anything, but I just want to prepare you. Gio wants you to marry him. He thinks Lorenzo and…Alessio might be planning something to avenge Isabelle. He wants you to be the most protected as possible so-”
“He wants me to marry a boss,” I finished the sentence for her. I wasn’t shocked. I hadn’t exactly thought about it, but I knew the way my brother’s mind worked. I knew he would be considering how to protect me now that everyone knew the truth.
“Yes. But I am trying to convince him to give you more time. To see how this all plays out. We have no idea what is going to happen next and you are safe here.”
“As long as I stay behind these four walls, right? Like you?” I raised my eyebrow at her and she sighed knowingly.
“I don’t like it as much as you, Elle. But the North is too dangerous right now.”
“I know,” I mumbled with defeat.
Gio suddenly walked out of the house in his black trousers and crisp white shirt with his sleeves rolled up at the forearms. He raised one hand and he waved at us.
“Elle? Do you have a minute?”
I stood up from my chair, throwing my sundress over my bikini as I made my way over to him. Liv followed behind me and as soon as she was within reaching distance, he pulled her into his side, kissing her lips.
“My office?” he smiled at me, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
I shrugged, knowing it must be of importance if he wanted the privacy of his office. We walked up the stairs in silence, neither one of us wanting to start a pointless conversation, happy to get right to the reason we needed to talk. When we entered his office, I saw the back of Enzo’s blonde hair and I already knew what was coming. But thanks to Liv, I wasn’t taken by complete surprise.
“Elle,” Enzo smiled at me, standing up from his chair to kiss both my cheeks in greeting. We both sat down in the armchairs opposite Gio’s desk as he took his place.
“You look good, Elle,” Gio smiled at me with warmth, but still that lingering awkwardness hung between us. He hadn’t known what to say to me in the last few days. I could put it down to him being a man and not having the right words, but I knew my suffering was too much for him. He had never been able to see someone he loved in pain. It was his weakness.
“I’m feeling much better,” I lied effortlessly as I returned his tight smile. He seemed to buy it as he exhaled a small breath of relief and nodded.
