Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
I chuckled. Emma had a point. “They don’t. What about speech? I won’t convince our soldiers to learn sign language.”
“He can talk without a problem.”
I nodded again. I had never met the boy. Maybe I’d passed him at social gatherings, but I had never paid much attention to him. I had simply taken his father’s word on the matter that he couldn’t become a Made Man. Dad too had never doubted it.
“If this was his father’s way to rob us of our rights, then I might have to punish him.”
Emma shook her head, shocked. “Trust me, he thinks his son is incapable. He sees him as a burden. That’s why he’s trying to produce another heir.”
“I’ll talk to my father, and we’ll invite Fiorentino to talk with us. I’ll have him evaluated that day. If he can prove himself, he’ll get his chance to become part of the Outfit.”
“Thank you so much.”
“I know of a way you can thank me,” I murmured over my glass of white wine.
Emma perked up, then flushed when she understood what I meant.
The phone in my pocket, my second phone, vibrated. I still hadn’t had the necessary willpower to cut Serafina off completely. Our contact had become less frequent over the years, but in the weeks prior to my wedding and ever since, Serafina had tried to rekindle our bond. She would have loved to be at the wedding.
But she had made her choice.
Feeling Emma’s eyes on me, I ignored the phone and finished our dinner.
Samuel slept soundly beside me. He’d had only one glass of wine during dinner, but I was sure he’d had more drinks afterward while in his office. I had already been asleep when he joined me. A nightmare had woken me, and a message popping up on his phone that illuminated the room had stopped me from falling back asleep right away. The room lit up with another message. It was past midnight. I carefully sat up, worried about waking Samuel. His two phones both sat on the nightstand, but it was his second phone, the one with F., that kept lighting up.
I couldn’t make out who sent the messages. I craned my neck as another message popped up, this time with a photo that didn’t show on the screen. My curiosity and suspicion were almost unbearable. I should trust Samuel, but our world rarely rewarded trust. I bit my lip. If I used my wheelchair to get to Samuel’s side, he would definitely hear it, even if he was slightly drunk. I scooted a bit closer to him. Maybe I could reach over him? But if he caught me, he’d be furious.
I lay back down and tried to fall back asleep, but two more messages lit up the room. I sat back up and tried to lean over Samuel to reach his phone. If I could touch the screen, I’d see if the messages were from F. again. Another message illuminated the room.
Samuel stirred, his brows snatching together, face twisting with pain. “No.”
He shook his head, his body twisted. He was having a nightmare. My gaze drifted between the phone and Samuel, and I touched his shoulder gently. He didn’t react until I shook him harder, then his eyes flew open a moment before his phone turned dark again and blackened my vision.
Of course, another message lit up our room shortly after, so Samuel’s disorientated expression came into view. He sat up, so I had to lean back. He reached for his phone and turned it over.
I swallowed. “You had a nightmare.”
“I have many nightmares,” Samuel murmured. He turned on the light, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut. He perched on the edge of the bed, his back to me. Scars covered his skin. I too had a few of them, but not as many as Samuel, and I couldn’t remember the incident that caused them, so my nightmares always revolved around the moment I woke up in the hospital, unable to speak.
“Do you want to talk about them?”
“No,” he clipped. He touched a scar on his side.
Hurt, I leaned back against the headboard. His gaze darted to the phone he’d turned over so I couldn’t see the incoming messages anymore.
“Go on, read your messages from F. I’m sure she has something important to share.”
Samuel slanted a cautious look over his shoulder. “Did you read them?”
So it really was a she. I was angry with myself for thinking that our promising sex life meant Samuel wouldn’t also seek out other women. Why did I believe his talk about fidelity?
“I did not,” I pressed out, close to tears.
Samuel regarded me closely, then shook his head. “I told you I’m faithful, Emma. This isn’t what you think it is.”
I raised my eyebrows. “It’s not? You’re chatting with a woman, and you keep it a secret from me. She’s even sending you photos, and I’m pretty sure they aren’t G-rated.”