Page 137 of Mafia Kings: Valentino

I smiled.

At least someone was looking out for me.

I’m fine,I texted back.Just got to the hotel.

Be careful…

I will,I replied.

When the movie was over, I lay there looking up at the ceiling…

And wondered if Valentino was thinking of me.

If he’d thought of me at all since he’d left.

43

Valentino

All I could think about the next day was Cat.

I had a copy ofThe Count of Monte Cristothat Ludavica had brought to my room after dinner. I’d been reading it as Paolo drove us to meet Rocco.

In the story, a guy named Edmond is engaged to a beautiful girl named Mercédès, but three of his friends betray him and get him sent to prison because one of the guys wants Mercédès for himself.

At first, I saw myself as Edmond: betrayed by someone close to him (Niccolo) and separated from the woman he wants (Cat).

Then Edmond gets sent to prison on an island – which in my case was Sicily.

The only problem withmyversion was that Edmond was engaged to Mercédès. Hewantedto marry her.

I had the chance to marry Cat…

But I said ‘no.’

When I realized that, my version started to fall apart.

Niccolo didn’t want Cat. I knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

And Niccolo didn’t betray me. He was an asshole, for sure – but I knew he was trying to save the family.

I still hated him for it, but he didn’t fuck me over just to fuck me over.

Not only that, butthreeof Edmond’s friends stab him in the back… and I wasn’t prepared to say Dario had fucked me over.

He’d actually given me a chance to walk away, and I’d turned him down.

In my version, it was like Edmond’s friends had said,You can marry Mercédès right now and we’ll leave you alone. So what do you want to do?

And Edmond said,Naah, I think I’ll go to prison instead.

When I realized that, I had to quit reading.

Instead, I daydreamed about Cat.

I missed everything about her.

Her body –

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