Chapter 2 #2
My ribs compress at the thought of Riccardo’s ring on my finger. Thankfully, he hasn’t given me one yet. But it seems he’s spreading the word about our impending marriage, regardless. I’d hoped to keep it under wraps a while longer, but Riccardo has a big mouth and an even bigger ego.
“Definitely condolences,” Abella mutters as she enters the room.
“You do remember that’s our cousin?” Rafe smirks at her.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Well, Gabi, you can break his heart and decide to marry me instead,” Michele offers.
“You’re too late.” Romeo studies me with his wolf-like gaze. “She only has heart-eyes for Orion.”
Heat surges up my spine, prickling my skin at the mention of that name. The very specific, only-ever-written-in-my-journal code name.
Abella glances between us in confusion. “Who’s Orion?”
“Don’t know,” Romeo answers. “Care to share with the class, Gabi?”
I stare at him, paralyzed with the horrific realization that he must have read my journal.
He arches a brow at me when I don’t respond. “If Orion is known as the hunter, does that mean you’re the prey?”
To my eternal shame, I can feel my ears turning red as I glare at him, making it obvious he’s gotten to me. .
Satisfied that he’s ruined my day, he shoulder checks Michele as he stalks from the room and down the hall—my underwear still in his pocket.
The brothers glance at each other, and Angelo shakes his head. “You’re playing with fire.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rafe winks at me as he exits the room, leaving me more confused and frazzled than ever.
The rest of the men follow, and Abella stares after them with an odd expression on her face.
“That was weird, right?” I ask.
Sometimes I don’t know if I’m reading things correctly, but she confirms it with a nod.
“That was definitely weird. Things have been tense between them the last few days, and I’m not sure why.”
I twist my fingers together, scanning the boxes they’ve brought in so far. The panicky urge to find my journal swells in my chest, but there isn’t time before the men return with more of my belongings.
After another handful of trips, they’ve delivered all my things and organized the boxes into stacks on one side of the room. I’m still staring at them when Abella pulls me aside.
“Is everything okay?” she asks. “I know this is a lot all at once.”
“It’s just…” My words trail off. What am I going to say—I think Romeo read my diary? Then I’d have to admit who Orion really is, and that’s the last thing I want to do right now.
“I just have to take Beppe out for his walk.” I march over and scoop him off the bed.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“It’s okay. I have Julian, and I won’t be long.”
“Alright. We’ll get the furniture moved around the way you wanted.”
I thank her and make a quick escape, hauling Beppe down the hall. Julian appears a moment later, like he knew I was coming. Sometimes I think the man has a sixth sense.
“Ready for his walk?” he asks.
I release a breath and nod.
“Let’s go.”
By the time Julian and I return, Mariella, Valentina, and Chantel have arrived. They’re parked on the lounge next to Abella, the four of them chatting while the Vitale men congregate around the bar.
“Hey, Gabs.” Chantel pats the space beside her. “Come relax for a bit. We ordered pizza for dinner. It should be here soon.”
I nod at her, stealing a glance at the men as I walk across the room. Romeo tracks me with his gaze, his face unreadable as ever. I swear he lives to torment me, and on my worst days, I can’t even say that I blame him.
If it wasn’t for me, he never would have been struck by lightning.
Because of what happened that day, his life has been irrevocably altered. The damage he sustained and the subsequent cardiac arrest left him with lasting psychological, neurological, and physical changes.
Those first four years were so dark, he barely survived. His father shuffled him from one treatment facility to another, hoping for some kind of miracle, but there were none to be found. He’ll live with those personality changes, volatile moods, and chronic pain for the rest of his life.
Arguably, I deserve his wrath. But this battle between us has raged so brutally for so long, I don’t have it in me to fight him anymore.
Now, when I look at him, I just feel sad. I ache for everything he lost, and I wish more than anything he could forgive me, but I know he never will.
I’m bone-tired, and I decided long ago that I had to stop engaging in this war.
Being near him, it’s easy to forget, particularly when he goes out of his way to taunt me.
It’s almost like an addiction, because any reaction from him, good or bad, drags me back into his orbit.
But it comes at a cost. Every barbed insult, every harsh look—they wear me down until there’s nothing left.
The fresh air and long walk cleared my head, leaving me with one inalterable truth.
For my sanity, I have to move on from this.
I have to stop getting sucked into this spiral and find a way to ignore him.
So instead of reacting when he pats his pocket, subtly reminding me he stole my underwear, I settle onto the lounge, turn my back toward him, and focus on my friends.
“Come here, handsome boy!” Chantel calls out for Beppe after I unclip his harness.
He darts over to her, soaking up her attention as she lavishes him with love. After a million little kisses and some ear scratches, he curls up on her lap for a cuddle.
It’s hard to miss the fact that she’s ready for an evening out in a black dress and heels. Chantel could make a pair of sweatpants look hot, but when she dresses up, the male species doesn’t stand a chance. She’s the kind of drop-dead beautiful that leaves men slack-jawed as they pass her by.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work tonight?” I ask her.
She bites her blood-red lip and shrugs. “I had a thing, but it didn’t pan out. So here I am, at your disposal for the evening.”
She’s trying to play it cool, but there’s a familiar note of disappointment in her voice, and a glance at Valentina confirms my suspicions.
“She had a date with Lord Dickhead tonight,” Val explains. “He canceled last minute.”
“Val,” Chantel whispers, stealing a glance across the room.
Cristian just so happens to be Lord Dickhead’s best friend, and when all our gazes swivel in his direction, he’s staring right at Chantel.
“Sorry, not sorry.” Val smiles sweetly in his direction. “Your friend is an idiot.”
Cristian’s jaw tightens, something unreadable flickering through his dark eyes before he turns away, severing the connection.
“Anyway—” Abella, sensing Chantel’s discomfort, changes the subject. “Lucia and Serafina wanted me to tell you they’re sorry they couldn’t be here. They had a charity gala tonight.”
“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re all here to help me get settled in.”
“We’ve got your back.” Mariella smiles at me. “Always.”
Over the next hour, we lounge around, catching up and eating pizza. When baby Nella wakes up, she gets passed around the room from one person to another until my turn comes around. I hold her awkwardly, not really sure what to do, and the girls laugh.
“You look terrified, Gabs,” Mariella observes.
“That’s because I am,” I admit. “What are you supposed to say to a baby, exactly?”
“Whatever feels natural,” Abella answers without patronizing me.
“Hello, tiny human.” I study her as she squeezes my finger with her fist. “Did you know baby sharks are called pups? Some can swim and hunt on their own as soon as they’re born, and depending on the species, they may even eat their siblings in the womb.”
“Okay, maybe we steer clear of the shark facts.” Val steals her away from me.
She holds her up and makes Nella smile like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
“I think I’m missing that chip.” I frown.
“Well, you’d better start practicing.” Val shudders. “Riccardo has mentioned more than once that he wants kids.”
The conversation falls dead silent, and Val shoots me an apologetic glance. I know she didn’t say it to upset me. This is just the reality of our world. We marry who our fathers tell us to, and the men decide our futures. That’s how it is, and there’s no point sugarcoating it.
Truthfully, I haven’t given much thought to having kids.
I’ve always known that, like everything else, it wouldn’t be up to me.
I won’t have a say in that or most of the things that happen in my life.
I think that’s why, despite the risks, it’s so important for me to make at least one major decision myself.
I’ll have to marry who my family picked, but I want my first time to be with someone I choose. I want at least one experience I enjoy before I’m forced to endure Riccardo. If I’m lucky, maybe that memory will hold me over for the rest of my grim life.
I’ve already told Abella and Mariella about my plan, and they both support me. Mariella gave me birth control off the record, and before I graduate, I hope to find the person I can share the experience with.
The thought has crossed my mind more than once that it could be Eros.
Our interactions have long since moved past innocent flirtations into darker territory.
We’ve had explicit conversations about the things I want to try, like being chased, captured, and dominated by a masked man.
We’ve exchanged GIFs and clips from horror films, and we’ve even discussed the boundaries I’d set in those hypothetical scenarios.
It makes me believe that, if we ever met in person, we could take it to the next level.
The only thing is, he’s never asked me to meet, and I’m not sure why.
“I suppose we should probably start unpacking,” Abella says, interrupting my thoughts. “Before it gets too late.”
I nod, stifling a yawn before I stand up.
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Rafe says.