Page 46 of A Sinner's Truth

I just feel like I’m failing him. He’s done all of this to help me, and what have I done for him in return? Nothing. Except add guilt to the pile of grief he’s drowning in.

Chapter Twenty-One

“Get your drunk fucking ass in my car now before I do it for you,” Gio snarls in my direction.

Someone clearly has their panties in a twist this morning.

“One sec. I forgot something.” I hold up two fingers, turn, and run back towards the house.

Eloise and Aria are walking out. I meet them at the bottom of the stairs. I take hold of Aria’s face and slam my lips down on hers. Her body goes rigid for a moment. Then I feel her hands curl around my shirt and her mouth opens for me. My tongue delves in, circling around hers.

I fucking love kissing Aria. I’m not supposed to like it as much as I do, and that’s the problem. I pull back and smile down at her shocked expression, placing a gentle kiss on her nose before stepping aside again.

“See you at home, darling.” I wink at her. Gio and El are staring at me like I’m some kind of alien from outer space. “What?” I ask as I pass my brother. He shakes his head and rounds his car.

“Straight back to the house, Ellie,” he calls out before jumping in.

Gio revs the engine as he screeches out of the driveway.Oh, he’s pissed all right.Mr Always-Cool-Calm-and-Collected only drives like this when he’s pissed. I don’t say anything. I don’t need to. Instead, I count down from ten in my head. And, sure enough, just as I get to one, he starts in on me.

“What the fuck are you doing, Santo?” he yells.

“Sitting in your car?” I turn and watch his jaw tighten. It’s not really smart to poke the bear, but I’ve never claimed to be the smartest one in the bunch.

“You wasted Ellie’s time. You turned up drunk to a house she went out of her way to show you. And don’t even get me started on what you’re doing to your own wife,” he growls.

“I didn’t plan to show up drunk, and I’m notthat drunk. As for my wife, she’s none of your concern.”

“Yes, she is. The day you married her, you also made her my sister. Which very much makes her my fucking concern. What the fuck is going on with you?” Gio’s hands grip the steering wheel; his knuckles turn white.

“I don’t know,” I admit. Because I don’t fucking know how this fake marriage morphed into… more… in a matter of a few days.

“You don’t know? Well, you need to figure it out real fucking fast, little brother. Because you’re spiralling again, and if it’s because of that girl, I will remove her from the equation,” he says.

“You’re not touching her. What the fuck?” My back straightens and my fists clench. Brother or not, no one is fucking laying a hand on my wife. Or taking her away from me.

“Really? Why do you care? This marriage of yours is fake, isn’t it?” He lifts a questioning brow.

“It’s temporary. But fake or not, she’s mine for the year and I’m not giving her up,” I tell him.

“Where were you all night?” He knows where I was. He just wants to hear me say it.

“Out.” I turn my face towards the window and look at the street passing by.

“Why did you need to talk to her? Why are you spending all night at your ex-fiancée’s fucking gravesite when you have a living, breathing wife at home in your bed?” he asks me.

My hand runs through my hair. “I had to apologise to her.”

“What the fuck for?” he hisses.

“I’m not supposed to like her this much. Aria. It wasn’t meant to be like this,” I tell him.

“Why can’t you like her?”

“Because that would be cheating on Shelli.”

“Cheating on Shelli? That’s not…” Gio shakes his head. “You deserve to move on, Santo. You’re allowed to be happy again.”

“I love Shelli,” I tell him. “But with Aria, it’s different. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.” My words are low, almost a whisper. “The guilt is killing me. I love Shelli. I shouldn’t want another woman like this.”

---