Page 42 of Sin and Redemption

“I would have come earlier, but your dad told me you were at class.”

“I had courses.”

“I thought you might not go.”

She frowned as if that didn’t make sense. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.” She filled a bowl with steaming soup and set it down on the table. My present was still there, unopened.

“They got what they deserved. I made them pay tenfold. I hope that makes you happy.”

She stared at me in confusion. “Happy? Because they’re dead?”

“Are you not? I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“I wanted them to be gone so they couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. But it doesn’t make me happy.”

I wondered if she wasn’t happy about the revenge I’d taken because there was one more person who needed punishment in her eyes: me.

Even if I hadn’t done it out of my own free will, I had been the one who’d hurt her.

She sat across from me with a bowl of soup for herself.

“Happy belated anniversary,” I said, trying not to let my frustration show, though it was hard. Why couldn’t she see that I had done this for her? So she could move on?

“Oh, yes.” She glanced at the parcel. “Happy anniversary. I didn’t think we’d celebrate.”

I laughed bitterly. “We have no reason to, you’re right, but I got you something. You don’t have to open it if you don’t want to.”

She flushed and reached for the package, then opened it. Inside was a tea cup from the pottery artist she liked, plus a voucher so she could buy whatever else she liked. “Thank you.”

“You can put it with the voucher I gave you last Christmas.”

She still hadn’t used that one either.

She regarded the cup for a moment before she met my gaze. “Thank you for this, and for last night.”

I gave a terse nod. We ate in silence after that, and I wondered where we’d go from there. Maybe I’d foolishly hoped getting revenge would wipe the slate clean, that it would mean a new start for our marriage, but Sara’s reaction made it clear that it wouldn’t. Maybe I should stop thinking it ever would and just return to living the life I had before Sara.

The dress I’d picked for the wedding of the year—between my cousin Amo and the daughter of the Camorra Capo, Greta—was looser than I’d liked. It was a beautiful dark red dress with a cowl neck, flared skirt, and shimmery red flowers on the skirt. The waist was slim, but it was still too loose for me. I had bought the dress only four weeks ago but I must have lost more weight than I thought in the meantime.

A knock sounded.

“You can come in.”

The door opened, and Maximus poked his head in. He wore nice light gray chinos and a white dress shirt. He wasn’t the suit type, though I actually liked how he looked in it. His eyes slid along my body. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

His eyes drifted from my protruding collarbones to my sharp elbows and thin hands. I shifted. I knew my weight loss was obvious. Mom had already asked me about it. The wedding guests today would notice too. I hated to draw attention to myself. If this wasn’t such an important social event, I would have found an excuse not to go. “I wished I’d picked a dress with more coverage.”

Maximus immediately tore his gaze from me. “We need to go.” The tension in his voice was unexpected. I grabbed my small dark-red purse and followed him out of the apartment. He didn’t say anything on the way to church, and neither did I. I’d often felt exhausted in the past few weeks, too exhausted to make an effort with Maximus. I knew my lack of nutrients was the reason behind it too.

When we arrived at church, Maximus put on his jacket. As Amo’s Made Man, he was expected to wear it. Of course, that also meant I had to sit in the front row. My family, even if closely related to Amo, sat in the second row since the first row was already full. I smiled briefly at Marcella, trying not to look at her huge belly. She was due soon, and the sight of her pregnancy felt like a stab every time. I was happy for her—I truly was—but the pain I felt whenever I saw someone pregnant or with a baby was still intense. I’d avoided my cousin because of it, and I was sure she knew. She gave me a kind smile as I walked past her to sit beside Valerio, who greeted me with a grin. “Any bets on who’s going to cause a scandal?”

I chuckled. That was typical Valerio. “I think there’s a lot of potential gathered here today.”

Valerio nodded.

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