Savage Vows (Titans: Moretti Mafia #2)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Alessia

Sterling Uptown, Houston

“That was wild,” Bella says, leaning back against the plush velvet cushions of the chaise. A crystal flute of champagne dangles loosely in her hand, reflecting the light from the chandelier.

I glance at her, a bitter laugh bubbling up before I can stop it. “Wild doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Bella raises an eyebrow, and she studies me intently. “You mean the fact that he got past hotel security? Or the part where he’s a ghost who still manages to haunt you?”

I sink deeper into the armchair, and I take a small bite of the chocolate that I’m forcing myself to savor. “Both.” I sigh. “All of it.”

The phone in our room rings, and we both stare at it.

“We could let it ring,” I suggest. After all, last time it had been the concierge letting us know Matteo was in the building.

“We can always hang up on the caller,” she suggests.

The phone stops its noise, but we both keep staring at it.

Moments later, it starts again. We both jump, and then we laugh.

“I’ll get it,” she announces bravely, setting her flute down on the low table between us. She answers with a short, “Hello.”

She covers the mouthpiece. “It’s Rafe Sterling.”

I frown, but I don’t reach for the handset.

“What is this about?” she asks him. Her eyes widen, and she mouths the words, “Apology,” and “Free stay.”

She looks at me quizzically, and I nod, extending my hand.

Rafe’s voice is professional and warm. I vaguely remember meeting him at the funeral, and I would never have wanted to see him again under those embarrassing circumstances. I’m slightly humiliated by the whole thing. The owner of the corporation had to stop my husband from behaving like an asshat.

“Sorry for the interruption, Mrs. Moretti. I wanted to let you know all is well and that you won’t be bothered the rest of the night.”

I’m not sure how they pulled that off, but I’m grateful.

“I apologize that Matteo was able to bypass our security measures.”

Me being on a different continent barely slowed him down. A determined Matteo is a force of nature. I’m just surprised that he wasn’t able to drag me with him a second time.

“For your inconvenience, I’m offering you a complimentary week’s stay at this hotel or any other in the chain. I’ll email you the information, if that’s okay?”

“Wonderful. Thank you.” A free week? When Bella said free stay, I thought they were comping tonight’s room. But frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t kick me out for being such a problem guest.

“If there’s anything else I can do for you, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll include my personal cell phone number in the email. Sorry again for your inconvenience.”

He ends the call, and I look at the phone for a second, shocked.

“Matteo acts like a fool, and I get a free week’s stay?”

“A week?” she echoes. “Good. Stay here. Eat all the chocolates and macarons that you can stuff in your face while you sketch and drink the best bubbly in the universe.”

I can’t help but laugh at her. Being with Bella was exactly what I needed. And still, things hadn’t gone the way I hoped. “I’m so sorry he ruined our girls’ night.”

She scoffs. “His behavior was the reason we needed the outing in the first place.”

“True.” With a small shrug, I finish the chocolate.

“Never apologize for the way your husband acts. The Moretti men are a lot to handle.” Her expression kind, she leans forward. “You’ve been dancing around this topic all evening.”

That had been on purpose. I needed to distract myself and not let thoughts of him consume me like they have been day in and day out since the day we got married.

“Tell me everything.”

Not wanting to be disloyal or add to the family stress, I’ve been keeping things to myself. But I feel like a dam is breaking, and I’m afraid I can’t stop the flood.

“You know I never wanted this, Bella. I mean, I knew what my family was like—what this life demanded—but I thought…” I take a breath. “I thought maybe I could be different.” That the way we started would be the way we’d go on.

Bella doesn’t interrupt, and she keeps looking at me encouragingly.

“But Matteo…” How do I explain something I have trouble understanding? “He’s not just a shadow; he’s an eclipse. Everything he touches, he consumes. At first, it was intoxicating—how could it not be? He wanted me badly enough to chase me to England. He’s powerful, magnetic. But now…”

I trail off, staring at the plate of macarons from the bakery in the hotel’s lobby. Then unthinkingly I pick up another chocolate. “Now it feels like I don’t exist anymore. Like I’m just…furniture in his world.”

“You?” Bella shakes her head and reaches for a soft green pistachio macaron. “You? Furniture? Please. You’re not some pretty lamp, Alessia. You’re the whole goddamn power grid.”

Her attempt at humor coaxes a small smile from me, but it fades quickly. “He left love out of the vows, Bella. Did you realize that?” She had to have noticed. “He looked me in the eye and promised loyalty, duty, and protection—but love? That wasn’t even on the table.”

Bella chews slowly, her brow furrowing. “Everything has been kind of a blur.”

“It has.” In frustration, I shove my hand into my hair.

“You’re angry,” Bella guesses, reaching forward to refill my flute with champagne—from a bottle whose price tag had included a comma.

I protested the price, and she shook her head and told me, “It’s worth every penny. And if your husband kept you happy, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

I take the glass but don’t drink. Instead I trace the rim with my finger, the motion grounding me.

“You have every right to your emotions.”

And I’m full of them right at this moment. “Probably more hurt and confused than anything. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I thought maybe if I tried hard enough, he’d see me. Value me. But all I’ve done is lose myself. I can’t paint anymore. I pick up a brush, and nothing comes. He’s taken everything, even that.”

Bella’s expression turns fierce. “He hasn’t taken anything, Alessia. You’re still you. You’re just…” She wrinkles her nose before pointing her finger in the air as if she’s had a revelation. “Stuck.”

“Stuck,” I echo, the word feeling both right and wrong. “And smothered. It’s like I’m buried alive in his world. He’s in that damn bunker all the time, plotting, scheming, while I?—”

“While you what?” Bella prompts gently.

“While I shrink,” I admit, my voice cracking. “While I disappear.” I can’t believe I’m about to tell her this… “We’re not even having sex. Not since the day we got married.” I feel used, discarded. He got what he wanted, a ring on my finger, and maybe much more. It wasn’t until after we consummated our vows that I realized he didn’t use protection when we had sex.

Bella leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Do you love him?”

The question feels like a punch to the gut. I open my mouth to deny it, but the words catch in my throat.

“I don’t know,” I whisper, but we both know that’s a lie.

She doesn’t let me off the hook. “Because if you didn’t, it wouldn’t hurt this much.”

Her words slice through me, sharp and undeniable. Tears prick my eyes, and I quickly blink them away.

“Maybe I do,” I admit, the confession tumbling out before I can stop it. “Maybe that’s why it feels like I’m suffocating. Because I want him to see me. To care.” This morning, when he left, he hadn’t given me a kiss, hadn’t said a word about where he was going or when he might be back. I had to find out from Bella that there was some sort of ascension ceremony in the Hill Country.

And I have no idea how it turned out. Was he affirmed as the Don? Or had there been a successful power play?

And the fact it’s impacting my life like this is part of the reason I never wanted to be involved with a complicated man.

Bella picks up a dark chocolate truffle from the table, then rolls it between her fingers before popping it into her mouth.

“I’m thinking about going back to England.”

She blinks. “Are you really?”

I need an escape from the life I’m living. “I’m not sure what else to do. If I stay, I’m afraid there’ll be nothing left of me.”

Bella nods slowly, her gaze thoughtful. “And if you leave?”

The question lingers in the air, heavy with implication.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe I’d find myself again. Maybe I’d finally be able to breathe.”

Bella tilts her head, studying me. “But you’d also be running from the one thing you clearly want.”

I scowl at her, but she doesn’t back down.

“You want him to fight for you,” she says, her voice steady. “You want him to see you, Alessia. Really see you.”

My chest tightens, and I clutch the champagne flute like it’s a lifeline. “And what if he doesn’t?”

“Then at least you’ll know. But maybe the fight isn’t about running or staying. Maybe it’s about making him realize what he’s about to lose.”

Her words bouncing around in my mind, I glance at the macarons, and this time I give into temptation and pick up a lavender one.

“You probably don’t know this, but Nico and I very nearly ended up divorced. He served me the papers. It turned out, he figured out what I meant to him. Stand your ground, like you did tonight.”

I’m not sure if it had been bravery or stupidity.

“You’re stronger than you think, Alessia. If you decide to leave, I’ll get you to the airport. But if you decide to stay, I’ll be there for that too. Either way, you’re not alone.”

The warmth in her words wraps around me, and for the first time in days, I feel a flicker of hope.

“Thanks, Bella,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

She grins, raising her glass. “Anytime. Now, let’s eat more macarons and figure out your battle plan. This isn’t going to be easy…”