Page 40 of Stolen Union

Rocco stares at her for a long, tense time. “So, this is your decision? You’re sure about it?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“I need to think,” he mutters. “You’re coming back home. And no, I won’t make you marry Antonio. I won’t kill Dante for the time being. But I need to think.”

He turns away and stalks toward the car.

Gabriella runs up to me. “I’m glad you’re alive.”

“Me, too.”

“Come on,” Emilio growls, pushing me in the direction of the car. Gabriella follows, keeping her eyes on me the whole time.

I know this because I never look away from her once.

CHAPTER 20

Gabriella

Dante and I are kept apart while Rocco thinks. It annoys the hell out of me that he doesn’t talk to me about it. This is my life after all. I shouldn’t even need his permission. Dante and I are already married. This should be a no brainer—instead of having Dante as your enemy, make him your ally.

But that’s not how Rocco works, so I have to wait.

At least Lara, Ophelia, and Caterina show up to keep my company.

“This is crazy,” Caterina says after I tell them about everything I’ve gone through with Dante. How I know I want to be with him. How I know I love him.

“But not surprising,” Lara adds. “I’ve known you’ve had a crush on Dante for a while. This feels … inevitable.”

I sit down on the couch with a sigh. “If only Rocco would understand that.” I pause. “I didn’t get the chance to ask you guys, what were you doing at that restaurant?”

“I wanted to get out of the city,” Ophelia admits. “So, we decided to take a little trip, and it was just pure coincidence you and Dante were at the same restaurant at the same time as us.”

“Huh. Small world.” I drop my head back. “God, I can’t stand this waiting. Why is Rocco so freaking stubborn?”

“I’m so used to it now I don’t even notice it anymore,” Lara says.

Ophelia reaches over and places her hand on mine. “I’m glad you’re safe. Even though I don’t understand how or why you’ve fallen in love with Dante, I’m happy for you. Falling in love is one of the best things in this world.”

“But also scary,” I say. “Because Rocco might decide to kill the man I love.”

She pats my hand. “Let’s just hope not.”

As if he knew we were talking about him, Rocco appears in the living room doorway. “Gabriella, let’s talk.”

I roll my eyes as I follow him to his study. It’s just the two of us. “So?”

“So, I’ve decided not to kill Dante.”

My heart skips a beat. “Thank you so much.”

“But I’m keeping my eye on him. He’s going to work for me from now on. Your words made sense. Making him an ally might be better in the long run. But if he shows any sign of wanting to rise up against me, he’s dead.”

“He won’t. Dante just wants to be happy. We want to be together.”

“I don’t understand this at all. But …” He drops his chin to his chest and sighs before looking back up at me. “I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to hate me. So, you can be with Dante. But I’m still keeping my eyes on him.”

“Thank you.” I throw my arms around him. After a moment, Rocco hugs me back. “But what about Antonio?” I ask after pulling back.

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