22. Mia
22
MIA
T he moment I see my sisters and their husbands, my heart leaps into my throat. Sofia, Bianca, Chiara—they’re all here, along with Dom, Rork, and Dante. It can’t be a coincidence, can it?
The realization that Luca might have planned this makes me feel sick to my stomach.
As Luca guides me toward their table, his arm around my waist, I feel like I’m being torn in two. Part of me wants to run to my sisters, to throw myself into their arms and beg them to take me home.
But another part, a part I’m not entirely comfortable acknowledging, wants to stay right where I am, by Luca's side.
“Well, well,” Luca says, his voice carrying just enough to be heard over the ambient noise of the restaurant. “What a pleasant surprise. The whole family, out for a night on the town.”
The tension in the air is so thick I could cut it with a knife. Dom stands abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Luca,” he growls. “What are you doing here?”
I feel Luca’s arm tighten around me, pulling me closer to his side. “Why, we’re just out for a romantic dinner celebrating our recent marriage. Isn’t that right, darling?”
All eyes turn to me, and I feel my cheeks flush. “Yes, it’s… it’s been lovely,” I manage to whisper, hating how weak my voice sounds.
Bianca seems to stare into my soul. “Mia, blink twice if you need help.”
My heart leaps into my throat, but I feel Luca chuckle beside me. “Always so dramatic, Bianca. Your sister is here of her own free will. Don’t you remember?”
“Free will?” Dante scoffs, his hands clenched into fists. “Hard to be free will when you were threatening to kill Dom in front of us!”
Sofia stands then, her eyes fixed on me. “Mia,” she says, her voice choked with emotion. “Are you… are you alright?”
Before I can respond, Luca cuts in. “She’s more than alright. She’s my wife now. And I have to thank you, Dom, Sofia. You’ve provided me with such a satisfying resolution to our… disagreement.”
I watch the shock and pain bloom on my family’s faces, and it feels like a knife twisting in my gut. This isn’t what I wanted. I agreed to marry Luca to protect them, not to cause them more pain.
There’s movement and Chiara struggles to stand up, ignoring Dante’s protective hands. “Mia, please,” she says. “You don’t have to do this. We can protect you.”
I stiffen, torn between loyalty to my family and the strange, conflicted feelings I have for Luca. “Keeks, I… I made my choice. To protect all of you.”
“Some choice,” Rork growls, his eyes promising death. “Forced to marry a monster to save her family. You’re no better than a common thug, Strambo.”
Luca laughs, the sound cold and mocking. “A thug? Oh, O’Malley, you wound me. I prefer to think of myself as a businessman. And this?” He gestures between us. “This is just good business.”
I flinch at his words. Is that all I am to him? A business transaction? But then I remember our dinner earlier, the engaging conversation, the way his eyes lit up when we discussed literature.
It couldn’t all have been an act, could it?
“She’s even better than the bride I’d originally intended to take,” Luca continues, his eyes locking with Sofia’s.
I see the color drain from my sister’s face, and Dom’s arm immediately goes around her, protective and fierce. What does he mean? Was Sofia the one he originally wanted?
Dom looks like he might lunge across the table at any moment. His fists are clenched at his sides, and I can see the vein pulsing in his temple. “You fucking bastard,” he hisses. “If you’ve hurt her?—”
“Hurt her?” Luca laughs again. “Oh, Dom. I would never hurt my wife. In fact, I intend to cherish her… in every way possible."
Bianca stands straight, fury radiating off her. “You disgust me, Luca. Using an innocent girl to further your sick vendetta.”
Luca laughs again, the sound making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “Innocent? Perhaps. But I assure you, she’s a quick learner. Aren’t you, my love?”
I feel my face burn at the implication. Part of me wants to sink into the floor in embarrassment, but another part… another part remembers Luca’s touch, his kisses, the way he made me feel.
And I hate myself a little for not hating it.
“Please,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Can we not do this here?”
But neither Luca nor my family seem to hear me. They're too caught up in their own anger and pain.
“This isn't over, Luca,” Rork growls, his scarred face twisted with anger.
Luca smiles, all teeth and no warmth. “Oh, I think it is, O'Malley. You see, Mia is mine now. Legally, lawfully, and in every other way that matters. And there’s nothing any of you can do about it.”
“We’ll see about that,” Dom snarls. “I swear to God, Strambo, I’ll fucking kill you if it’s the last thing I do. You won’t get away with this.”
“Here’s the thing, Dominico.” Luca laughs, his arm wrapping even tighter around me. “I already did. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a romantic evening to get back to.”
As he guides me away from the table, I hear Dom’s voice, low and filled with menace. “This isn’t over, Luca. Not by a long shot.”
We leave the restaurant, the cool night air a shock after the heated confrontation inside. My mind is whirling, trying to make sense of everything that just happened.
The tension is palpable as we slide into the car. Luca’s smug satisfaction radiates off him in waves, and it makes my blood boil. The further we get from the restaurant, the more my shock turns to anger.
“What the hell was that?” I finally burst out, my voice sharp in the quiet car.
Luca glances at me, one eyebrow raised. “I’m not sure what you mean, Mia.”
His casual tone only infuriates me more. “Don’t ‘Mia’ me, Luca. You know exactly what I mean. That… that performance back there. Using me to taunt my family. Did you plan this? Did you know they’d be at that restaurant?”
His silence is all the confirmation I need. I feel sick to my stomach.
“How could you?” I demand, my voice rising. “I agreed to marry you to protect them, not to be used as a weapon against them!”
Luca’s jaw clenches, his hands tight on the steering wheel. “They needed to understand that you’re mine now. That they can’t just swoop in and take you back.”
“Yours?” I repeat, incredulous. “I’m not a possession, Luca. I’m a person. And those people you just humiliated? They’re my family. How dare you treat them like that?”
“Your family?” Luca scoffs. “The same family that was ready to sacrifice you to save their own skins? Don’t be naive, Mia.”
His words sting, but I push past the hurt. “At least they love me. Which is more than I can say for you. This whole marriage is just a game to you, isn’t it? A way to get back at Dom for whatever perceived slight you’re holding onto.”
Luca’s knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, his voice dangerously low.
Something in me snaps. The fear, the confusion, the hurt—it all coalesces into a burning rage. And before I can stop myself, I’m lashing out.
“Oh, I don’t know what I’m talking about?” I mock, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Poor little Luca, so misunderstood. Tell me, is this how you solve all your problems? Throwing tantrums like a spoiled child?”
Luca’s head whips around, his eyes flashing with anger. “Watch your mouth,” he growls.
But I’m too far gone to heed the warning in his tone. “Or what? You’ll use me to hurt my family again? Go ahead. It just proves what a pathetic, small man you really are.”
The car swerves suddenly, tires screeching as Luca pulls over to the side of the road. Before I can react, he’s turned in his seat, his face inches from mine.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he snarls, his breath hot on my face. “You don’t know what they’ve done, what they’re capable of.”
I should be terrified. Some small part of me is screaming to back down, to apologize. But the larger part, the part consumed by anger and betrayal, refuses to yield.
“Then tell me!” I shout back, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “Explain it to me, Luca! Because from where I’m sitting, you’re the villain in this story!”
For a moment, I think he might actually hit me. The tension between us is electric, a volatile mix of anger and something else, something that makes my skin tingle and my heart race.
But then Luca pulls back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “You wouldn’t understand,” he mutters.
“Try me,” I challenge, my voice softer now but no less intense. “I’m your wife, Luca. For better or worse, remember? Or were those just empty words to you?”
He looks at me then, really looks at me, and for a split second, I see a vulnerability in his eyes that takes my breath away. But then it’s gone, replaced by that cold mask I’ve come to know so well.
“The Sicuras destroyed my family,” he says, his voice flat. “They took everything from me. Everything.”
I wait for him to continue, but he remains silent, his gaze fixed on some point in the distance.
“And that justifies using me? Hurting my sisters?” I ask, my anger rekindling. “Two wrongs don’t make a right, Luca.”
He turns back to me, his eyes hard. “This isn’t about right and wrong, Mia. This is about justice.”
“Justice?” I repeat, incredulous. “This isn’t justice, Luca. It’s revenge. And you’re so blinded by it that you can’t see what you’re becoming.”
Something that looks like pain flickers in his eyes, but it’s quickly replaced by anger. “You don’t get to judge me,” he snaps. “You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
“And whose fault is that?” I fire back. “You won’t let me in, Luca. You won’t trust me enough to explain. How am I supposed to understand if you won’t talk to me?”
For a moment, we just stare at each other, the air between us charged with tension. I’m acutely aware of how close we are, of the heat radiating from his body. Despite my anger, I feel a pull toward him, a desire to close the distance between us.
“I deserve to know the answers—” I say firmly, but Luca cuts me off.
“You deserve nothing!” Luca roars, making me flinch. Immediately, I see regret flash across his face, but it’s too late.
Any tender feelings I might have had are consumed by a fresh wave of anger.
“Fine,” I say, my voice icy. “If that’s how you feel, then this marriage really is just a business transaction. So let’s keep it that way. You don’t owe me anything, and I certainly don’t owe you anything beyond what I’ve already given.”
I throw open the car door and step out into the cool night air. Behind me, I hear Luca calling my name, but I ignore him. With all the strength I can muster, I slam the car door shut.
“Fuck you, Luca Strambo!” I shout, my voice echoing in the quiet night. And then I’m stomping off down the road, my heels clicking angrily on the pavement.
I have no idea where I’m going or what I’m going to do. All I know is that I need to get away from Luca, away from the confusion and hurt and anger that threaten to overwhelm me.
As I walk, I can hear the car engine start up behind me. But I don’t look back. I keep my eyes fixed straight ahead, my chin held high.
Because one thing is clear. Nothing will ever be the same again.
And I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not.