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It looks like I’m finally learning that attacking me is never acceptable, even if it’s only with words. How could I not when I finally see my own self-worth? I always defended myself, but never truly followed through because I was riddled with doubt. That part of me is dead.
Gil snorts. “You insulted the boss’s woman. That’s worse than insulting the boss.” Everyone around the table nods.
She’s my woman and I love her. I. Love. Emberly. Kay. There. I said it.
“Dinner the other night was good,” he says. I grunt. “It was almost like old times.” The corner of my mouth lifts into a smile. “But without Dad telling us to shut the fuck up and appreciate the good food.” “That’s you, now.” I exhale a long breath. “You think?” Cesare nudges me in the arm. “You were just like him when you kicked that bitch out for insulting your woman. Remember how Dad used to react when you and Benito talked back to Mom?” “Yeah.” My jaw clenches.
Cesare took it the worst and dropped out of medical school in a depression.
That explains so much
“Maybe later.” I unscrew the jar of nuts and take a handful.
Hahahahahah that was so me #bigback4life
“Well… she was never formally diagnosed. I just entered her symptoms into an online quiz and the results pointed to paranoid personality disorder.”
Me when i start feeling sick
“Tonight’s all about you, baby. Pick anything you want.” I reach into my pocket and pull out an ebony card engraved with her name.
I VOLUNTEER
How do I trap a spirit that will do anything to be free? She places a hand on her navel, demonstrating how she wants a pair of pants to hang low on her hips and expose her belly. The answer hits me like a lightning bolt. I need to get her pregnant.
Roman grinds his teeth, looking like he isn’t used to being interrogated by women about his love life. I really don’t give a shit, considering I laid out my entire history with Jim Callahan. My grip around his arm tightens to let him know I’m serious.
Yhessssss dont be no mans bitch anymore babes
“And thank you.” “What for?” I ask. “No woman has ever fought to protect me.”
My obsession with Emberly has reached the point where the thought of her leaving tears a cavity in my chest. I can’t let her go. Not now. Not ever.
Emberly wipes at her eyes, too absorbed to notice that the officiant just pronounced us man and wife.
“There’s nothing in this world I want more than you,” he says, his voice low. “I would lie for you, steal for you, kill for you. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you at my side.”
And I mean every word. Emberly is my wife, and I take care of what’s mine.
I reach into the box and pull out a silicone object shaped like a rose. From the opening within the bud, I can only assume it goes over the clit. After turning it on and making it vibrate, I press it against her sensitive nub.
BAHAHAHAHA NOT THE ROSE TOYYYYYY
“You’re griping about a hotel room?” I ask with an incredulous laugh. “It’s reserved,” he replies with a sniff. “For who?” “Doesn’t matter. My guest is waiting for the suite, and you need to vacate it by checkout today.” “The special guest you didn’t invite to the family dinner?” I ask, remembering how he stared into his phone the entire time we were supposed to be eating.
Oh....
If Benito is as defensive about this mystery woman as I am about Emberly, then she’ll probably be someone we’ll despise. I shake off that thought. No one can be a worse choice than Cesare’s little assassin.
Now i want to knowwwwwww :(
It looks like all three of us brothers are in controversial relationships.
It looks like Ginevra Di Marco is finally getting what she deserves. She was engaged to Benito years ago, before our family went to shit. Without explanation, she dumped my brother to hook up with Samson Capello. We all overlooked that first sign of the Capello and Di Marco alliance. Much to our detriment.
Omg its her, isnt it? Smhhh im so excitedddd
Emberly rounds the corner with Tony. If I thought she looked radiant before, I was mistaken. She’s fucking glowing. Incandescent. I have never seen her look so alive. My love, my wife, the potential mother of my children, has never looked so powerful or so in control.
“There’s a special studio on the edge of town.” She gazes up at me through her lashes. “Can I direct you?”
Oh god
My gaze drops to the gold band on my ring finger, and I clutch the chain containing its smaller counterpart. I would have received a text already if something had happened to Emberly, but the knot in my stomach refuses to loosen.
When I told Emberly I loved her, it was a lie. Love can’t describe the depth of my longing, the ache of my obsession. If I had to choose between Emberly or breathing, I would rip out my lungs and burn them for her as an offering.
My head rests against the steering wheel, guilt wrapping around my neck like a noose. Of all the things I could have stolen from her, why did I have to take her soul?
“Hello?” I say, my voice calm. “Mr. Montesano, this is American Express. We’re calling because there’s been another million-dollar transaction to the Beaumont City Women’s Aid. Do you want to authorize this charge?”
“Yes,” I say. “My wife can use the card as she pleases.” The woman on the other side of the line hesitates. “Sir, this is the seventh charge of this amount.”
“My wife can do whatever the hell she wants with our money,” I snarl and hang up.
“Boss?” Gil says from the other room. “Where are you going?” “To get my goddam wife,” I snap.
I thought Roman would drag me out of my apartment and demand his son. I feared being dragged back to New Alderney and being forced to spend the rest of my pregnancy locked in that tower. Roman’s machinations are far more subtle. He knows that caging my body won’t work, so I gave him a reason not to cage my heart.
Its a boy!!!!!!!!!
Lily beams. “Welcome, Kate.” She points at a spot in the middle. “Your partner already got you set up.” A large figure rises on my right. I turn toward him, expecting to find the smirking asshole sneaking up from behind, but it’s Roman. He’s barefooted, wearing a white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, surrounded by a bolster, an exercise ball, blocks, and blankets. Sunlight streams in from the window, lighting him from behind, making him look as handsome and as majestic as the day I painted him in Simon’s Pond.
“I’m not a good man or even a nice one, but you own my heart. I would lie, steal, and kill to protect you and your baby.”
The double doors slam open before I can even retort, and Roman charges out, his fists flying. He grabs the creep by the throat and slams him so hard against the wall that his head bounces. “Don’t you ever touch my wife!”
“Don’t even look at my wife,” I snarl. “Don’t even think about my wife. Don’t come within a mile of my wife. If I see you in Carmel again, I’ll break your fucking back.”
“I love you completely. Every single part of you, including your baby. If you want to hate me, fine. But I can never let you go.”
The ring around my finger is a constant reminder that there is no other woman for me but Emberly, yet the ring I wear on the chain around my neck presses down on my sternum like a brand.
“Pregnancy suits you,” I growl. “I’ve never seen you look so beautiful.”
“You should see yourself through my eyes, baby. You’re radiant.”
“What kind of man would leave his wife and child alone at her weakest?
“Roman.” I twist around in my seat and look him straight in the eye. “We’re not getting married.” He glances away. “What?” I snap. He remains silent. “Roman, please.” “We’re already man and wife.”
He touched Emberly. Choked my sweet, pregnant wife when she was at her most helpless. Now, he will die.
My phone buzzes with a text from Tony, confirming that the men I stationed in the apartment opposite Emberly’s are dead. My jaw tightens. How the fuck did Galliano learn the extent of my surveillance? I set up the guards and cameras before Emberly even signed her lease.
Mole?
Cousin Leroi is the first to arrive, and he’s positioned his girlfriend on the roof of a nearby house with a long-range rifle. He’s an expert on siege situations, so he’s on the ground, directing the troops.
“If anything happens to my wife, I won’t just kill your sons. I’ll keep you in a basement and feed you their body parts. Season up those assholes, so they taste better than your grandma’s meatloaf.” Galliano’s eyes widen. “You sick fuck.”
STOP WHY IS ROMAN SO FUNNYY???
The makeshift rope sways, making my stomach plummet. Either it’s about to come loose from the balcony railing or the knot she made to connect the two drapes is unraveling. If she clings on much longer, she’ll fall against her will. Gil appears at my side with Leroi, as do Cesare and Benito, all four of them ready to catch her, providing silent solidarity and support.
I really do love this group so much
“If you want to leave me, I’ll let you go. I’ll annul the marriage and continue donating to the woman’s shelter.” Her lips part. “What?” “Even if you don’t want me, I will still love you from afar.” My voice wavers. “But if you take me back, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
“Living without you is like trying to breathe without air. Every good thing I ever felt is because of you. You’re in my blood, in my bones, in my fucking soul. I can’t even function without you, Emberly.”
“When Galliano gave me the chance to choose between me and you, I was ready to sacrifice my life. My death in exchange for redemption.” Her breathing quickens. “I’ll do whatever it takes to fix things between us. Fuck, baby, I can’t believe I was so dumb, blinded by vengeance. I was an idiot for breaking your heart.”
“You’re everything I ever wanted, baby. Hell, you’re everything I didn’t know I needed. I’m here on my knees, ribs all busted, with tears pouring down my cheeks, begging you for something, anything. Even a crumb. I’ll crawl over broken glass just to get you back.”
When a man steps out of death row for a murder he didn’t commit, the first thing he should do is appreciate the people who stood by him during his darkest hours and embrace the chance of a better future. Capello might have ruined my life, but he left me the most precious gift. The most beautiful, loving creature in the world, who’s about to give me a son.
