/1/101764/coverbig.jpg?v=42c296872c6d8656e7c076e1d249a60f)
dress worth more than a small coun
ed to be the perfect mafia w
door slam
n, hand on his gun, lookin
ng is off,
s memory. He doesn't remember the
o his private villa
find a conf
ofa with a model on his lap,
es weren't blank; they
. He just wanted to void
of me, he o
mmed off a cl
wreckage, bleeding and brok
drunk driving accid
ant any lo
leaving me to
istake. He didn't check
coffin, and Ava Mil
via Carter opened an investment fi
r everyth
burn your empir
pte
a
fluttered around me like nervous moths. They were pinning the hem of a wedding d
ammed open, and m
aff. He looked at me. His eyes, usually lowered in deference to a future Don's wife, were n
d, his hand resting casua
a trail of silver pins glistening on the Persian rug. I stood frozen, the heavy
Leo said. The words didn'
doesn't remember the last seven years. He doesn't remembe
nty-two years had just lost its keeper, and I did
obscenely high thread count, the furniture was antique gold, and the air was always set to a bone-chilli
fe. I learned to be silent. I learned to look pretty. I learned that my loyalty to
g for a crack in his ston
N
e trembling but my chin held high.
space in a way he never would have dared
ly. "The doctors say you're a trigger. If you force
rd that was both a
do nothing
Leo said. "Like a
ere, drowning
ly lectured me on table settings and how to turn a blind eye to blood on a shirt, now avoided m
sper drifted through a cra
with someone, a
te line. Straight to voicemail. I tried to call h
her usually calmed me. I pulled down the book on family bylaws. Omertà. Loyalty. The sanctit
until my fingers ached. In the corner of the library, two s
i," one muttered. "Before
"The boss says he doesn't rem
He remembers how to give ord
od ran
I drove to Ethan's private villa on the outskirts of the city, my knuckles white on the steering wheel
t," I c
opene
ed through the front door, my heels cl
" I cal
he living room
of Ethan's favorite scotch. She was wearing Ethan's white dress
cat-like and amused. "
leave my lungs.
king a slow sip. "And
my fiancé
lled like expensive perfume and him. "Honey, you'
oice resonated
the same dark eyes that used to look at me with possessive heat. But now,
step forward. "Leo said you
brushing Chloe's waist as he passed her
than said. His voice lacked any
ching his face for a flicker of recogn
he interrupted, his tone bored. "I look at
el sound. "See? Go home, Pr
crumbling around my feet. "Seven y
me with pur
he sh
ows of the hallway. He had
g his back on me. "And if she comes he
eamed as Leo g
to the balcony, Chloe trailing be
y knees scraping the gravel of the drivewa
s tangling in his hair. He was kissing her. Not a tentative kiss. A hungry, devourin
It wasn't a loud noise. It
d me into my car. I drove back
ing back looked the same, but her eyes were different. The soft,
pulled out the silver coin Ethan had given me wh
my palm. I squeezed until I felt a dr. I prayed for rain, so it could wash the blood off my ha

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