Page 43 of Forced Vows

"I know why I didn't recognize you, but why didn't you recognize me that night?" I ask, something that has been bugging me. Yeah, the makeup job was sick, but come on. "You can't tell me you didn't know who you were supposed to marry.

"Yes, I knew." He frowns.

"But you didn't recognize me."

"No."

"Of course you knew who you were supposed to marry," I accuse, my anger kindled all over again. "Because you are a man."

"Because my brother treats his family differently than your uncle treats yours."

"Are you saying your sister knew at the same time as her future husband?" I ask suspiciously.

"My father informed her as soon as the agreement was made."

"Did he even ask what she wanted?"

"Not as such, no, but my father made sure she and Raff met and got to know each other. That they liked each other."

I roll my eyes. "What a great reason to get married. They liked each other."

"That wasn't the reason for their marriage but it is the reason my father agreed to it."

"But you and I didn't like each other. We'd never even met when you agreed to marry me." I shake my head, knowing there's no point in going over this again.

"You want to know why I didn't have a clue who I was really fucking that night?"

"Sometimes you're really crude." And sometimes he talks like a literature professor.

A really good looking one.

He ignores my insult. "I barely looked at the file Domenico provided on you. Your looks didn't matter. The fact you're too young for me doesn't matter. My brother wants me to marry you for the sake of our family."

His shrug says, if that's what the don wants, that's what he gets. Duty. Obligation.

"But we don't even like each other." I was yelling a minute ago and now I can barely get my voice above a whisper.

Miceli thinks I'm too young for him? Of course he does. I bet Miceli has been a made man for more than a decade.

I'm not even done with college. I'm an adult woman, but my life experience is light years behind his. Even after witnessing my mom's death.

I've never killed anyone and I never will. I'm not the mobster.

"Again it doesn't—"

"Matter," I finish for him. "But why? You're the underboss. The don is your brother. You could choose your own wife if you wanted to."

"That's not the way it works. Even my brother didn't choose his wife."

"But he did! Everyone knows. He switched Catalina for her sister at the wedding."

"One day, when I trust you not to share what you learn from me with your uncle, I'll tell you a story about Catalina and Severu."

"You don't trust me?" I mean, I know I don't trust him, but that only makes sense.

Why wouldn't he trust me? I'm not part of the organization. I have nothing to gain by betraying him.

"You're the niece of our rival. Shaughnessy might be arranging this marriage to gain information about our family."

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