32. Chapter 31 Soren
Gin hasn’t returned my phone calls in a week. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s slowly killing me inside. I watch as she steps out of a car wearing a long black dress, then helps her mother out. I want to be able to hold my wife as she watches her brother being buried. I want to feel her soft skin when I’m forced to say goodbye to my best friend.
“Go to her,” Cyrus mumbles, shaking his head at me.
“Give him a break,” Atticus retorts, patting me on the shoulder.
The three of us are waiting for our sister to arrive, but Eva is late, like normal. Gin and her mother walk past us and my wife doesn’t even acknowledge my presence. It slices my heart. I can’t stand it anymore and walk after her.
I place my hand on her lower back and she jumps, not noticing that I caught up to them. “Soren, your family needs you right now, not me.” Her tone is detached, void of all emotion.
“You are my family,” I reply with a clenched jaw. “Can we talk?”
“Unless you’re going to give me your condolences, there’s nothing else to say.”
My hands curl into fists at my side. I hate this cold Ginevra. I want my fucking wife back.
“I am sorry, Ginevra. If I could go back in time, I would change a hundred different things. I would move the Earth to keep you happy. You have to know this.”
“The proper response is, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’”
She continues walking, and I walk with them toward the gravesite. The snow crunches under our feet, but the sun shines brightly. It’s the first nice day we’ve had in weeks. The birds sing and call to each other as we reach the empty hole.
I bet these guys have the same tools I have to dig graves in the winter.
I never wanted to be burying my best friend.
As more people arrive from the church, they shake my hand and pay their respects to Ginevra.
When Jude and I were younger, we had all of these great plans for the future, but we never did a single one of them.
I look down at my wife as she consoles her mother and my heart breaks. They have gone through so much loss in their life. Am I really the best thing for her, if she’s already distancing herself?
The black hearse pulls up, and the casket is taken from the back. The pallbearers are all my men because Jude had no close friends other than me. Emotion clogs my throat and I have to clear it, tightening my hold on Ginevra.
She wiggles her shoulders, trying to loosen my grip, so I sigh and let go. I keep my face stoic, not wanting anyone to see my grief. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I haven’t cried since I was ten when my brother told me to stop being a baby, and now, as a grown man, I’m struggling to fight the urge to cry.
Jude was my brother, I loved him. I never should have sent him away. If I had kept him close, I could’ve kept an eye on him, protected him like family should. I love Gin so much. Was Jude right when he told me I destroy everything good in my life? He didn’t want me to marry his sister. Should I honor Jude by letting his sister go? I keep hurting her. Am I really the best person for her?
The priest talks about Jude, his indiscretions in life omitted. He sounds like the perfect citizen, perfect brother, perfect friend. He used to be that way. I glance at the faces around me and everyone is dry eyed but his mother.
It’s remarkable how similar this funeral is to his own father’s. I remember Ginevra holding her mother, grieving while everyone else stood just like they are now. Here out of respect, but no other reason.
The body is lowered into the ground and Gin holds her mother as she tosses a flower in with him. The older woman falls to her knees, taking my wife with her. Tremors shoot through her mother’s body as she sobs uncontrollably. I keep a hand on Ginevra’s shoulder, but feel out of place. I want everyone to get the fuck out of here so I can hold my wife and kiss her like a husband should. I want to steal her pain so she won’t have to deal with it.
I look up into the distance, blinking my eyes, trying to clear my head. A figure steps into a clearing and Anthony Armato watches over the scene. He’s too far to read his facial features, but the disrespect he’s showing by even breathing is applaudable. My heart thunders in my chest, my anger and frustration clinging to each of my nerves.
Leaving Gin and her mother’s side, I stalk toward the man. My hands itch for a fight and I would love nothing more than to see this man bleed.
“Hello, Soren,” he greets with a cocky grin.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” My hands curl into fists at my sides.
“I thought this was for family…” He lifts a brow, his smile widening.
“It is.” I step in to push him out of the way, but his next sentence has me stopping dead in my tracks.
“Is your sister’s husband, not family?” He raises his hand and I spot the shiny gold band that rests on his ring finger.
I spin around, looking for my sister, but she’s still not here. “What the fuck did you do to my sister?”
He fucking laughs at me, lifting one shoulder as he places his hand with only two fingers into his pocket. “I married her.”
I see red. Winding my arm back, I punch him in the face, and it’s not long before he recovers and punches me back. We tumble to the ground as we lay punch after punch on each other. I can taste metal on my tongue.
Atticus pulls me back by my suit jacket and I fight against his hold until I hear Cyrus yelling at me to behave. Anthony is standing, using his shirt to wipe the blood off himself.
“He’s kidnapped Eva,” I hiss, struggling to attack him again.
Anthony raises his hands up. “I did no such thing. We got married in Vegas. I’m your new brother-in-law.”
“She has a fiancé,” Cyrus growls behind my back. Our world is imploding. We just finished dealing with my Karissa’s family. They’re a drop in the bucket compared to Eva’s fiancé’s family.
“What the fuck?” Atticus says. “Everyone is watching you act like idiots.” I look back and see everyone’s focus has shifted from Jude to us.
“This fucker married Eva.” I nod toward our enemy.
Atticus crosses his broad arms over his chest. “He did what?” My brother’s face turns red from anger, but he stays composed. “Where is she? You better not have hurt her.”
“She’s been purring the entire time we’ve been married.” The fucker grins. “Now, boys.” He brushes off his suit jacket. “I came to pay my respects since we’re family now.”
Cyrus steps in front of him, his broad body refusing to move. “Leave. We’ll be in touch,” Cyrus says, his tone cool. We need to figure out what this means in the bounds of the war with the Armatos. We can’t lose our sister. She’s the heart of our family, just like our mother.
Anthony laughs, shaking his head. “I’ll let her know you say congratulations.”
I step forward, but Atticus keeps me in place. “You’re too emotional right now, brother. Use your head.”
“Go back to your wife.” Cyrus points at Ginevra. She’s trying to lead her mother back to their car.
I’m torn, but needing to comfort Gin wins out. My brothers can deal with Armato. I catch up to Gin and her mother, opening the door for them.
I help Gin put her mother in and close the door. My hand holds onto her arm. “Gin, I love you.”
She glares at me. “What was that up there?” She nods to where I just came from.
“Eva got married in Vegas.” I reply, defeated. How could Eva do that to us? Is this even true?
“She did that to get away from you. I’m not sure why you look shocked. You were suffocating her and no one cared.”
I stare at my wife, stunned. “Did you know?” Betrayal hits hard.
“I knew she was planning to go there, that’s it.” I thought we had this bond. A loyalty to each other.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugs. “You never asked.” She opens her car door and gets in.
I’m left standing on the curb watching them leave.