Page 85 of Bound in Promise
Never would have married Dante…
“Bring Mr. Moretti to dinner. I’ll need to…” She sighs, as though just having this conversation is too much for her. “He and your father will need to be properly introduced.”
“I’m sorry to say we simply don’t have the time,” I state evenly. “I have a lot of catching up to do, after all.”
“It’s the weekend, Victoria.”
“Congratulations, Mother, you can read a calendar. That’s no small feat, considering how busy you are meddling in other people’s lives.”
She scoffs haughtily and pushes back her perfectly curled hair. “Don’t be dramatic. You’re the one going about ruining things. You broke Liam’s heart and now his mother can’t find him anywhere. She’s concerned, to put it mildly.”
I feel the blood drain from my face, but I sit straight and focus on taking calming breaths. “Liam never loved me.”
“He wanted to marry you.”
“He wanted to marry me for my trust fund. The one you so kindly informed him of.”
My mother glowers at me. “That’s a rude and petty thing to say, Victoria. The Morettis have no need for your money. They’re well-established, with an impeccable reputation, and certainly their accounts are healthy.”
I could spill the truth, tell her everything that’s happened, but that can of worms is better left unopened. My mother would more than likely take whatever I tell her to the police, all too happy to throw Dante under the bus as the cold-blooded killer who corrupted her precious daughter.
Money talks, and she knows exactly what strings to pull to make the local authorities dance to her tune.
She’d have my husband in jail by the end of the day.
So, that leaves me playing the role of the spoiled princess that’s turned her back on her mother. I don’t mind acting the part of bad daughter.
None of this will matter in the long run.
I plan to work my ass off to finish my culinary program as soon as possible. I won’t be around for much longer. Dreams change and my newest hope for the future is finally taking shape. And there’s no way in hell I’m letting my mother get within ten feet of Dante.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” I tell her. “But I’m happy with how things have worked out. I won’t be bringing my husband to dinner this weekend. Like I said, I’m busy.”
She bares her teeth, leaning forward and hissing at me under her breath. “You stupid girl. You could’ve had it all. A life of luxury and influence. Instead, you’ve wasted your potential, thrown away everything I gave you, just to be with a professor.”
“He’s not just a professor, mom. He’s a man. One who fucks me royally every single—” My mother’s hand whips against my face, the impact hard enough to have my head snapping back against the hard plastic booth.
I can’t deny that I baited her.
No regrets.
It’s about time she learned that she doesn’t control me. Not anymore. And I’m not going to apologize for making sure she knows that I’ve been getting dicked down better than she ever has.
The lack of decent sex is probably why she has that stick shoved up her ass.
“You disgusting little whore,” she snarls, literally spitting mad. But her disapproval is nothing new to me. “You think he’ll keep you? He’s going to take your money and run. Men like him don’t waste their time with inexperienced little girls. That devil saw an opportunity and took it. Are you really so stupid that you can’t see what your future will be?”
“No,” I reply instantly. “He’s the most loyal, protective man I know.”
“I stand by what I said. You need to leave him before he leaves you. Get yourself a lawyer and get rid of this common thief who’ll take you for everything you have.”
“Pass.”
My mother’s face flushes an unflattering shade of red and, I swear, I see a vein bulging in her temple. She looks to be on the verge of an enraged fit. “You’re going to regret this. Don’t you dare come crawling back to me when he’s left you in the gutter like the worthless piece of trash you are.”
Ouch.
Her words may have actually hurt if I cared what my mother thought of me. But I stopped worrying about her bitchy judgement years ago. There’s nothing she can do or say to make me change my mind about how I plan to live my life or who I’ll live it with.
