Page 173 of Heartless Mafia Prince

I pretended to be asleep so I could continue eavesdropping.

“And I did. Melanie is my right hand. Not having her in my life isn’t an option.”

My heart warmed at his words. I relished how hard Luciano loved me.

“Your father thinks she’s a play toy you’ll grow tired of.”

“She’s not. I didn’t ask to be born into this life. But I’m here playing my role. I didn’t expect I had to agree to marry that woman. This entire ordeal is ripping me apart inside. In a couple of months, I have to leave my woman alone and move into a house with Rosetta. You have no idea how hard it is for me to plaster on a fake smile and pretend everything is wonderful,” he groaned. “It tears me up inside to know I can’t ever marry the woman I truly love. Ever.”

His words stabbed me in the gut. I hated hearing the truth.

“Luciano, even if you weren’t marrying Rosetta, you could never marry Melanie. She’s not Italian.”

“Fuck, Mom. You sound just like dad. Why does it matter if she’s Italian or not?”

“Luciano, I don’t believe in the old way of thinking. But your father does.”

“You know I don’t have a problem running the day-to-day operations. But I won’t tolerate anyone telling me who I can and cannot love.”

“Luciano, you listen to me,” her voice wavered.

“I don’t want to do this to you. You’re twisted inside over this woman. I’m so happy you found someone who brings you joy.”

Silence.

“But she has to go.”

My entire body went numb.

“What? No, she’s not going anywhere.”

“When your father finds out she’s pregnant, what do you think he’ll do to her?”

Bile rose in my throat. I was ready to vomit. What were they talking about? I wasn’t pregnant. I had my monthly two weeks ago.

“She’s not pregnant, Mom.”

“Maybe she is, and she just hasn’t told you yet. She passed out in the restroom. That’s where I found her.”

“Melanie would’ve told me.”

“It’s a possibility she doesn’t know. Luciano, take her to the doctor and find out. If she’s carrying your child, get her out of town.”

I couldn’t hold back the contents in my stomach any longer. A waste-paper basket was a few feet away. I stumbled over and shoved my face into the can.

“Melanie,” Luciano shouted.

His addictive cologne swept up my nose. He rubbed my back. “It’s going to be all right.”

But it wasn’t. How naïve of me to think I could ever be with him.

The door flew open. “What’s going on here?”

“Rosetta, everything is ok. Go back to the party. Luciano will be right there.” From Eloisa’s tone, it didn’t sound like she cared for the ice queen either.

“Is that her? Why is she here? Luciano, you said she wouldn’t be here. What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s not feeling well. Like I said before, I’ll send Luciano out in just a second.”

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