Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Her glossy eyes stared at me, her arms tightening around her body like armor.
“But I knew . . .” I swallowed in guilt, afraid to put this weight on her shoulders. “I knew the real reason I couldn’t be with you again was because . . . of how much I resented you. Resented you for what happened with Edric. Because if that had been handled differently, I wouldn’t have cut him out of my life, and he wouldn’t have joined Cosa Nostra in Palermo and then the Skull King in Florence . . . and he’d still be alive.”
Her eyes started to water again.
“I know it’s unfair, but that’s how I felt.”
She dropped her chin and placed her hand over her mouth as she sucked in a harsh breath through her nose.
“It was wrong to feel that way, and I’m sorry I blamed you all these years. Truth is, that kiss happened because Edric tricked you. That’s how it all started. And then he was killed for having an affair, because he was still the same asshole. He was a fuckup his whole life, and he died a fuckup. I’ve cleaned up his messes and taken the fall for him so many fucking times—and it still got him nowhere.”
She dropped her hand and inhaled another breath, her eyes still watery.
“I’m sorry.” I’d come here to rip her into a million pieces, but instead, I found the closure I’d been searching for all my adult life. Not closure for our relationship, but closure for my brother’s death. My life’s purpose had been to get revenge against Darius for murdering him, but I realized now that would accomplish nothing.
My whole life, I’d been looking after my brother and making excuses for him. Vouching for him to Tommaso, covering his tracks to my parents, letting him copy my homework, everything you could think of.
But he wasn’t my responsibility.
He’d never been my responsibility.
And I was finally ready to accept that. To move on with my life. To focus on Aurelia and the family we were going to have together. To let the past go . . . and embrace the life I should have had all along. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes flicked away and stayed focused on the wall instead of me. “I would do anything to go back in time and change what happened. For us to still be together, for your brother to still be here. Anything.”
I gave a slight nod in understanding, even though she couldn’t see me. “I know.”
I headed to Palermo after my conversation with Isabella. I had to go through the security checks like any other visitor since I was no longer part of Cosa Nostra. I made it to Tommaso’s study, where he spent most of his time if he wasn’t out on the town.
“You’re back.” Tommaso greeted me with a smile and a stiff handshake before he clapped me on the shoulder. “Sit and have a drink.” He moved to the couch and motioned for one of his men to make a couple drinks at the bar. He sat in the corner of the leather couch and crossed his legs.
I sat across from him.
He pulled a cigar out of the front pocket of his vest and lit up. He held up another, silently offering it to me.
I shook my head. I hadn’t smoked much since I’d been home. Stopped altogether when I realized Aurelia was pregnant. When I got back home, I’d have to undress in the garage so I wouldn’t bring the secondhand smoke into the house.
He smoked on his own and watched the men bring the two old-fashioneds. “How’s Taormina?”
I skipped the question he didn’t even want an answer to. “I decided to open a restaurant in Taormina. That’s how I’ll fill my time from now on.”
He took in a deep drag before he released the cloud between us. “A restaurant.”
“Yes.” I waited for him to mock me so I could lunge at his throat.
“And that will keep you entertained more than Cosa Nostra?”
“The restaurant itself, no. But I just found out I’m going to be a father.” I hadn’t been thinking about fatherhood before I’d noticed Aurelia hadn’t touched her wine. Hadn’t had any distinct plans for the future, because I was living in the past. But the second I heard the news, I was happier than I ever could have expected. A smile moved over my lips at the memory.
Tommaso hesitated as if he needed a moment to process what I revealed. “An accident? In this day and age?”
“Wasn’t an accident. More of a surprise.”
“And you’re doing okay?”
“More than okay. I’m really excited.” My smile was genuine, and the clouds in my chest were light and fluffy. “Which is why I think a quiet life in Taormina is the right choice. I had a great childhood there and learned a lot of values that have stuck with me all this time.”