Gian (Trassato Crime Family Book 1)(3)

I rubbed my hands along my thighs. “Not exactly. He said I might be able to dance again, but that he couldn’t guarantee anything.” I lowered my voice. “A ruptured Achilles tendon can be a career-ending injury for a dancer.”

“So you gave up without knowing for sure.”

“I was busy,” I lied. In actuality, the thought of packing up my bags and crawling back to Nebraska scared me to death. When Kevin proposed, I seized the opportunity to focus on something other than the end of my childhood dreams. I put my career on hold and micromanaged every detail of our wedding plans.

Carmela jumped up and clapped her hands together. “Well, let’s pack your stuff and get you out of here before Kevin shows up. I’m not sure you’re strong enough to face him yet.”

I didn’t bother arguing with her. “Where to? I don’t have money to rent my own place.”

Carmela looked pointedly at my finger, where I still wore my two-carat custom-designed wedding ring. “Pawn your engagement ring. It will pay for a few months of your living expenses and physical therapy, and you always have your credit card. In the meantime, you have me, and that means you can stay at my place until you figure out how to put the pieces together.”

Exhaling loudly, I twisted the ring on my finger, contemplating pawning it for cash. I’d never liked it. I told Kevin I wanted a sapphire, not a diamond, and something rough-cut, not refined and uptight like the ring he’d designed for me. He never listened to me. Everything revolved around him and what he wanted.

When Kevin had to work late, I convinced myself he had to finish a few commissioned paintings. When I saw a red lipstick stain on his collar, I attributed it to paint. When he spent an entire party introducing his protégée to all of his friends and ignoring me, I called him a good mentor.

“Don’t you think I should give it back?”

Carmela’s eyebrows shot up. “No. You caught him screwing another woman in his art studio. Consider it your severance package.”

“Yuck.”

“Which part?” she questioned.

“Both.” I took off the ring and stuffed it into my pocket. It didn’t mean anything, and all things considered, it never had. “I feel so dumb,” I mumbled.

“Why? He took advantage of you. He should feel dumb. You, on the other hand, should feel lucky you found out before you married him.”

I shoved my tangled strawberry blonde hair away from my face. “Not about the cheating—although, that is embarrassing enough. After we’d been dating for a month, I asked him what color my eyes were.”

“And?” she said, planting her hands on the sides of her hips.

“He said blue. Can you imagine? My eyes aren’t even close to blue. What a fucking loser. He could have said brown or hazel. He said blue. Even though I knew better, I stayed with him because I wanted the fairytale.” I tipped my head to the ceiling. “Now look at me.”

“You’re right where you’re supposed to be.”

I scoffed. “Broken, depressed, and unemployable?”

“No, you’re smarter and more worldly. Every girl needs a reality check now and then, and now that you’ve had yours, you’ll be smarter next time.”

My phone vibrated on the coffee table again. “He’s getting impatient,” I commented, watching the phone skip across the slick, dust-free surface.

“Then let’s move.”





CHAPTER TWO





Gian



“No way, Carmela. I won’t consider it.” I picked up a towel, wrapped it around the back of my neck, and I walked out of the home gym and into my adjacent bedroom. “Stop asking.”

“Gian, you need a personal assistant, someone to stock your kitchen, water your plants, go to the dry cleaners, and stop by the house when you’re out of town,” she called after me. Her four-inch red heels clicked against the wood floors with every step. “You’re rarely home between running the nightclub and your social life. What’s the big deal? You’ll barely see her.”

I halted mid-stride and swung around, glaring at my twin sister. “The big deal is that I don’t want a fucking assistant. I don’t need anyone nosing around in my business, especially someone who’s not family. I can’t have random people in my space. You know that. Besides, I don’t need anyone else when I have you.”

Carmela folded her arms across her chest. “Evie isn’t random. She’s my friend, and I don’t have time to do any of that stuff for you. I have a life too, you know.”

“I don’t want a stranger in my home.”