Page 25 of DeLuca: The Devil

My first instinct is to tell her no because she’s my fucking wife and will sleep in our marital bed, but I remember Damian’s words and relent.

“I’ll sleep in another room tonight. You can stay here.”

“Thank you, Domenic.”

I rise from the bed and walk over to her to give her a kiss, but she flips over, again giving me her back, I sigh, “Goodnight Bellissima.”

“Goodnight, Domenic.”

I pull my sweatpants on, walk out of the room, close the door, and go to my office to drink away the burning feeling in my chest. There’s nothing about making Giada sad that I enjoy. This isn’t something I can change. I’m a cold bastard without a heart. I’ve had many women in my bed, but never more than that. I’ve never even dated seriously. Occasionally, I’d bring a woman to a function I needed to attend but not a girlfriend. What Giada wants is something I’ve never even thought about. She will have to get over it. That’s not the kind of marriage we have. In time, she’ll get used to it and stop dreaming about fairy tales that don’t exist in our world.

Chapter Seventeen

GIADA

I cried myself to sleep last night after Domenic left. I said I needed to be alone, yet I missed him terribly. I think I have Stockholm Syndrome. I fell in love with the devil in record time. I think I developed feelings for him on that first night. Like an angel that fell from grace, I knew better, but here I am. I’m in love with a man who'll never return my feelings. Under normal circumstances, you can leave the person that will never feel the same. I’m trapped for life.

I get out of bed, go to the shower, and deal with this rat's nest I call hair. Once I finish and look presentable, I head downstairs for coffee. I’m surprised when I walk into the room and find Dante there but not Domenic.

“Hey.”

With a smile, he says, “Hey yourself.” He shrugs, “They’re in a meeting. I’m not allowed in there so I’m sitting here. I made a fresh pot of coffee though.”

I giggle, “Thank you, that's very considerate. You’re the youngest?” I ask as I grab a coffee mug and pour myself a cup.

He nods, “Yeah, I’m the youngest.”

“You have a lot of similarities, but you don’t have the hardness they do. There’s a sweetness to you that the others don’t have.”

Dante takes a gulp of his coffee, “The handsomest, too.”

I arch an eyebrow, “Handsomest? I like that word.”

We both laugh when I hear Domenic, “Well what do we have here, Wife? Flirting with my brother?” Domenic growls, “Everybody get the fuck out except Dante and my Wife.”

The way he says wife makes my blood chill to ice. I glance at them, pleading with my eyes to be saved from his wrath. This is the first time since I’ve met him that I’ve truly been afraid of him.

Damian says, “Come on, man, keep it together. Your issues with Dante and Giada are separate issues. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Domenic doesn’t back down, “Get the fuck out of my house, Damian.”

Damian shakes his head, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Damian, Drake, and the security guy, Marc, all leave. And I don’t know what’s about to happen but somehow I know it’s something I’ll never forget.

My husband looks at Dante, “Sit.”

He does without question. Everybody listens to what he says. He says jump, and they ask how high. It’s nauseating, but it’s how it works in this world.

Domenic grabs my arms and pushes me over the table, “Clearly my wife needs a reminder of who the fuck she belongs to.”

Dante says, “Domenic don’t,” but he doesn’t listen.

With one hand, he undoes his pants while he holds me down by my neck with the other hand, yanks my yoga pants down, pushes my panties to the side, and slams into me. I cry because what more can I do? My husband is violating me while his brother watches. At least when Enzo beat me, he didn’t do it in front of an audience. After five or six times of slamming into me, he pulls out, “Pull your pants up.”

I do and turn to look at him with tears covering my face, “You were right. Nobody could love you. I can’t believe I thought I did. You earned your name, devil. There is no worse man on earth. I fucking hate you.” I run upstairs and slam the door shut, locking it behind me, knowing if he wants to get in, he can.

Chapter Eighteen

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