Page 86 of They All Own Me

"Those other mobsters you got mixed up with?" Dom says. "They weren't as... careful with her as we were."

A heavy silence follows.

"Shit," Thomas finally mutters. "God, this is going to destroy my approval ratings."

My fingers dig into my palms. Five years of marriage, and his first thought is about his fucking polls.

"That's your fucking response?" Connor's voice turns deadly quiet. "Your wife is dead, and you're worried about approval ratings?"

"Look," Thomas says, "It's tragic, obviously. And of course I'm upset, I spent years of my life with Tatum. But these things happen in our line of work. I'll spin it, play the grieving widower. No one will ever know it's mob related."

My blood boils as I listen to Thomas casually discuss using my "death" for political gain. Ten years of marriage, and this is what I'm worth to him - a campaign strategy. The bruises from my actual kidnapping throb as my hands shake against the door.

The basement stairs creak as someone shifts their weight. "You really are a piece of work," Issac says, disgust dripping from every word.

"I'm a realist," Thomas replies. "Besides, it's not like she and I had some great love story. The marriage was a business arrangement, nothing more."

Something inside me snaps. All those nights I spent trying to be the perfect wife, all the times I swallowed my pride andplayed my part - and he can't even pretend to care that I'm supposedly dead.

My feet carry me away from the door and up the stairs before I realize I'm moving. Tears blur my vision as I storm through the house, nearly knocking over a lamp in my haste. The walls feel like they're closing in, suffocating me with memories of every fake smile, every forced touch, every moment I convinced myself that maybe, just maybe, he might learn to care about me.

I burst into what's become my bedroom, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the frame. My chest heaves as I slide down against it, wrapping my arms around my knees. The sound that escapes my throat is somewhere between a sob and a scream.

Chapter 45

Dominic

I takethe stairs two at a time, Connor and Isaac right behind me. The sound of Tatum's cries echoed through the house moments ago. We reach her door, and I knock softly.

"Go away," comes her muffled voice through the wood.

"Not happening, princess." I test the handle - unlocked.

Inside, Tatum sits curled in the window seat, arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes are red, and her teardrops have left stains from where her face was dirty. The sight hits me in the gut.

"He doesn't even care," she whispers, not looking at us. "I mean, I knew he didn't, but hearing it..." Her voice cracks.

Isaac moves first, crossing to sit beside her. "Hey, he is a robot. Guy's clearly got shit for brains."

"Seriously Tatum," Connor adds, leaning against the doorframe. "Anyone who's fucking sane would be torn up about losing you. I mean hell, look at us, we didn't know if you were…" he swallows, trying to hide his emotions. "We didn't know if we would find you, and the three of us were fucking distraught."

I remain standing, watching her shoulders shake.

"I wasted years of my life trying to be perfect for him." She wipes roughly at her eyes. "When I could have been with someone who actually cared. God, I'm pathetic."

"You're not pathetic," I say firmly. "You're fucking resilient. Most people would've broken under what he put you through."

She finally looks up at us, mascara tracked down her cheeks. "I just... I thought I was done feeling worthless."

The vulnerability in her voice makes my chest ache. We're killers, hardened criminals, but seeing her hurting like this makes me want to go back downstairs and make Thomas suffer more.

"You're worth more than that asshole could ever understand," Isaac says quietly.

She gives a watery laugh.

"Plus," Connor grins. "You're way better as a mob accomplice than a first lady anyway."

Moving to sit on her other side, I run a hand through my hair, letting it fall loose from its tie. "You know what the difference is between you and Thomas?"

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