“What do you want?”
“You’ll marry Nico quickly and without protest, and that Russian’s name will never cross your lips again. You will never see him again, you will never even think of him again. I expect your unconditional loyalty to the family and your husband,” Dominick said, his voice deadly calm like he wasn’t dealing my heart another deathblow. One I’d never recover from.
“What about loyalty to me, your niece, your blood?” I growled, my throat convulsing with the urge to cry.
Dominick pointed a beefy finger at me. “Loyalty is earned, not given. You haven’t earned anything.”
Gian grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Don’t be stupid, Carmela. Konstantin Trincher doesn’t love you. This is your out. They get what they want, you get your life back, and nobody gets hurt. Don’t turn your life upside down chasing a fairytale. There is no happy ending for the two of you.”
Pain. Agony. Sorrow. All of it slithered through me like poison, tainting my love for my family. Nothing stung as much as finding out my family, the people I put above everyone and everything, didn’t give a shit about what I wanted. I was a commodity to be bought and sold to the person who had the most to offer them. Nothing was ever about me. My life, my feelings, my desires were irrelevant.
“Fine. You win. I’ll sacrifice myself, but not for family. For Kon. If you go back on your word and something happens to him, you’ll regret it. I promise you.”
I jumped out of the chair, tears already blinding my vision. I needed to get away from them. My bare feet slapped over the marbled floor with every step, echoing in my ears. When I came to the stairs, I picked up my speed, taking two steps at a time.
“Carmela,” a hand clamped around my wrist, and I whirled around ready to lash out.
“Emilia?” I said, my voice shaky. I took in the shiny dark pixie cut that framed her delicate features. Her petite body was clad in all black just like when she was teenager. Gian and I always referred to her as the dark fairy when we were younger. The description still suited her.
“You’re doing the right thing,” she said, her eyes darting down the hall.
“Were you spying on us?” I snapped, my hands curled into fists.
“A little, but I already knew what was gonna happen. I overheard my father talking on the phone last night.”
“Great. I’m glad after running away you’ve decided to rejoin us and toe the family line. Isn’t that convenient? Is your daddy going to reward you for this little pep talk?”
Pain rippled across her face. “No. I’m only telling you this because I know how evil my father is. I ran. I made a new life for myself. Got married. I thought I was free until I came home after work to find my husband dead. My father killed him.”
The air whooshed out of my lungs and I swayed, feeling lightheaded. “You don’t know that.”
A brittle smile split her lips. “He promised to kill any man that dared to go against him and marry me, and he delivered on his promise. If you love that man, you will do whatever you need to do to extract him from your life and away from our homicidal family.”
I nodded, my entire body numb. Fragmented thoughts raced through my head, none of them making sense. I was living in Hell. Right when I thought I had my life and my heart back, my family ripped it out of my chest still beating and bloody.
“I have to tell him. I need to say goodbye. I need closure.”
Emilia grabbed my upper arms, squeezing them. “I’ll help you get your goodbye.”
“How?”
“Tomorrow. I’ll find you.”
“Emilia. What are you telling her?” Sal’s voice echoed down the hall. I didn’t know much about him. He was good-looking in a dark and brooding way, but a little younger than me. He’d been my father’s soldier, and now he was Gian’s, and that’s all I needed to know.
“Are you following me?” Emilia snapped. “Did you get sick of sniffing my father’s ass and you needed some fresh air?”
Sal’s lips curled over his teeth, his usually calm demeanor evaporating almost instantly. “You’re a bitch. No wonder your husband killed himself. I’d kill myself too if I were stuck with you.”
Emilia gasped and reeled back, her hand pressed to her stomach. “I can’t believe I ever trusted you, Sal. You’re a liar and a phony. You sold me out. You probably led the campaign to whack my husband.” She marched forward, her shoulder ramming into Sal. “Asshole. I hate you. I’ll always hate you.”
Sal stared at her, his face pale and his hands flexing and curling into fists over and over like he wanted to wrap his hands around her neck and drain the life out of her. I didn’t understand what that was about, and I didn’t want to know. I had enough problems of my own. Without exchanging a single word with Sal, I slipped down the hall and retreated to the safety of my bedroom.