Page 49 of Twisted Obsession

‘Not even for the sake of your family?’ His eyes narrowed as he posed the laden question.

I knew what he was alluding to. A good Calabrian woman would always put her family above herself. Guilt ran through our veins. The same guilt that had been used against us for centuries and would be for many more.

‘Serafina could have helped us.’

‘Maybe,’ he shrugged. ‘But it’s too late. We’re not in Calabria, we’re not even in Italy. We’re here in England.’

‘What are we going to do, Dante?’ Shaking my head furiously at our ridiculous situation, I stepped sidewards and opening my arms wide I forced my way out of his hold, just how my brothers had taught me when we were younger. ‘What on earth are we going to do?’ I asked as I threw my arms up in the air and began to walk around the confines of the large space.

‘Marry me?’

I heard Mary gasp from the entrance of the room.

‘What?’ The whole of my body stopped, in a bid to concentrate wholly on him. ‘What did you say?’ I span around on my heels to study him in earnest.

‘Giovanna De Luca.’ He fell to his knees and as my mouth opened wide in astonishment I watched on, ‘Will you please be my wife?

‘Dante, we’ve only been seeing each other a few days. You can’t mean it.’

‘Why does that matter?’

I looked at his aunty for some support at his recklessness, but she offered me nothing in return.

‘I’ve known you for nearly the whole of my life and have always been aware of you, Giovanna, and these past few days have shown me why that is… you are mine; you always have been and always will be. I don’t need months or years to make the certainty I feel any stronger than it is now.’

‘Dante.’ His name left my lips on a whisper of disbelief.

‘I want to be with you, Giovanna.’ His honesty was revealing. I could feel the strength in his words. His reasoning was sincere and heartfelt.

‘Why?’ I’d always wished I was more confident, but never more so than now. ‘You don’t want to marry me. What could I possibly offer you?’ I hated how pathetic I sounded, but the words left me, nonetheless.

‘You—all I want is you.’

‘Me?’ I placed a hand to my chest.

‘I want to marry you, Giovanna… not because anyone is telling us to marry and not for any plan of vengeance. But because I want to be with you.’ He nodded at me. ‘You must be able to feel the rush between us every time we touch?’ he questioned.

‘Yes.’ I felt a blush hit my cheeks.

‘This isn’t ordinary, amore mio.’ He shook his head gently as he tried to convince me of what he was saying. ‘It’s special. I know I’ve never felt it before and I want to feel it for the rest of my life, that connection… with you. I want to be the man you deserve. I want us to walk side by side through life in that union. I want to marry you, because you’re beautiful inside and out, even though you don’t believe it. I want to be the man who shows you just what a gorgeous woman you are, until you believe in yourself. I want to wipe away your tears and be the one whomakes you laugh. But most of all, I want to watch you carry and then cradle our children.’

A cry left me as he stood up and closed the gap between us once again. As he reached me, he gathered me up gently into his arms and tightened his hold on my body, before placing his lips to my forehead.

‘I’m waiting on your answer, Giovanna.’

‘Yes, Dante. I’ll marry you. I’ve said before, without you I’m not whole. Without you my life doesn’t have meaning. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, and I’ll love you long after I’ve taken my final breath.’

‘Oh!’ Mary exclaimed at hearing our declaration to each other.

‘Amore mio,’ he whispered.

‘Your love,’ I acknowledged.

A noise sounded somewhere behind me. I had no idea what it was, but felt Dante stiffen.

‘Your uncle is calling, Dante.’ Mary answered my unspoken question.

‘I need to take the call. It will be via video,’ he informed me as his eyes searched mine.

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