Page 46 of Vicious Union

“I’m ready to get back to work. Dante is still out there, and it’s my responsibility to find him.”

“Why does it have to be your responsibility? Can’t Rocco or Massimo go after Dante?”

“They can, and I’m sure they have been while I’ve been away. But before we got married, Rocco enlisted me to be the one to find him. And I intend to make my brother proud.”

“Ok. Just don’t forget about us when we get back home.”

He frowns. “Trust me, Caterina. It would be impossible for me to forget about you.”

That’s not what I mean, but there’s no use telling him that.

We arrive home without getting into a fight on the airplane, which I think shows how much we’ve grown. Emilio doesn’t seem as annoyed with my presence any longer. In fact, he seems like he enjoys spending time with me—not that he’d ever admit it.

We take a taxi to Emilio’s house, which I haven’t actually seen before. He lives in a brownstone that must have cost millions. Both the inside and out are decorated in dark wood tones. Instead of being oppressive, it’s actually quite nice and warm. Cozy.

“So,” I say, after he’s given me a tour. “What should we get up to?” I flutter my eyelashes at him and rake my fingers down his chest.

I expect him to grab me and fuck me like he likes to do.

But instead, he takes a step back. “I have work,” he says, sounding only slightly apologetic. “Another time.” And just like that, he walks away from and goes into his study, leaving me to stand there and wonder what I’m going to do.

Well, what I know is, I’m not going to wait around for Emilio. I’m not that desperate.

So, I call Gabriella and ask if she wants to meet up. Emilio surely can’t object to me hanging out with his sister.

“Gabriella and I are going out,” I say through his office door. I’m expecting a fight. I sort of want a fight.

“All right,” he calls back. “Have fun.”

I huff, crossing my arms. I get it’s his sister, but I assumed he’d want to control me more. Ever since we met, he’s been trying to control me, and now … now he’s cool with me just going out?

“Did you hear me?” I ask. “Gabriella and I are going out.”

“I heard you. I’m ok with that. Now, I really need to work. Stop bothering me.” And there it is—annoyance.

I step away from his door, feeling … hurt, honestly. We were hot and heavy on our honeymoon, even if some of it was because we hated each other. But Emilio was never distant.

Now, he is, and I don’t know what to make of it.

I tell myself he just wants to settle back into his routine, and I’ll give him some space, but I’m worried he’ll want to settle too much into his old routine—his old routine that didn’t include me.

But why should I care what Emilio thinks? I should love being able to leave the house and hang out with the girls. I’ve always hated how much he’s bossed me around. And yet, I sort of miss it.

God, I’m fucked up.

I shake my head and leave to spend the day with Gabriella.

* * *

“So, how was the honeymoon?” Gabriella asks as we take our seats at the café table. Lara and Ophelia are also with us.

“You really want to know?”

Gabriella scrunches up her face. “Well, not everything. More so, how are you and Emilio doing? I know there was some tension between you two before you left. Is that still a problem?”

“Yes. But instead of Emilio being annoyed with me, he’s now distant. He immediately went into work instead of spending the day with me. We just got back from our honeymoon. I expected more, but I guess I shouldn’t have. Emilio tends to disappoint me. It’s, like, he would freak out if I went to the club, but if I died in front of him, I don’t think he’d even notice.”

“Don’t say that,” Lara says, giving me a sympathetic expression. “Emilio would care if you got hurt. He’s a De Luca. They all care about their family.”

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