Page 43 of Texting My Mafia Savior

“Stop,” Enzo hisses. “I can forget that. But if you keep going, you’ll make it worse.”

He’s right, dammit. I turn and walk away, trembling with disgust and outrage.

“She wouldn’t listen,” Giancarlo says on the phone. I can tell he’s been crying. “She’s always felt guilty for the sacrifice you made. I begged her not to do it. She said she loved me, but you were her best friend, and she wouldn’t let you give up another decade of your life for her.”

“Fuck.” I slam my hand on the steering wheel. “Fuck, fuck,fuck.”

“What do we do?” Giancarlo says. “We can’t just let her do this. Stop her, Nico.”

“Stop her,” I repeat. “You don’t understand what you’re asking me. He won’t let her out of his sight now. Stopping her wouldmean risking her life. Stopping her would mean bloodshed on a scale you can’t imagine.”

“What will he do to her if they stay together?”

“Fuck,” I bellow again. It’s not exactly productive, but the rage in me won’t stop. Of all the ways I saw this going, this wasn’t it. My head is still spinning as I try to figure out how we got here. A simple court case, a simple lie, and now everything is ruined. “I don’t know. I wish I had simple answers.”

“Soon, you’ll be getting a wedding invitation in the mail,” Giancarlo says grimly.

“First, he needs us to get a divorce,” I snap. “He’s going to rush it through. He’s got contacts who are capable of that.”

“I don’t understand why he still wants her after all this time. He doesn’t even know her, Nico. Even back then, when he first claimed he wanted her, he didn’t know her. What’s wrong with him?”

“It’s never been about her,” I say. “It’s always been about his pride, his ego. He saw a woman and decided, on a whim, to claim her…” For a moment, it’s like I’m talking about myself. But there was nowhimwith my angel. It was something deeper, more meaningful. “Ever since I took her from him—or he thought I did—he hasn’t been able to let it go. His ego won’t let him.”

“Please,” Giancarlo pleads.

“I’ll try to think of something.”

“That doesn’t sound promising.”

“It’s the best I can give you right now,” I bite back.

I hang up. Before I can start my car, I get a text from Arriana.

Arriana:Is it true? Aunt Lucy called Mom. Apparently, she’s going to give herself to the don. She’s going to trade her life so that he doesn’t punish you or me for being together. It can’t be true, can it?

Me:It’s true.I’ve just met with them. She’s made herself his prisoner. She pleaded with me and asked that I allow her to proceed. She said that I’ve given so much of my life for her. Now, it was her turn. She’s serious. She thinks this is the answer.

Arriana:Does that mean we can come back to the city? I want to help.

Me:Help? What help is there, Arria? I can’t think of a way out of this.

Arriana:But we can’t let her get married to him. There must’ve been a reason she didn’t want to be with him all those years ago, right?

I swallow. Darkness clouds me. My mind floods with terror-laced images and sounds. All the ways Lucia will suffer if she remains in a relationship with Dominic. He’s going to use her, abuse her. He’s probably already started. She’s willing to let it happen, to subject herself to that misery, all for me.

Me:If I challenge him, he’ll push me on our relationship, Arria.

Arriana:Is that what we have? A relationship?

The age gap has never seemed so clear. She’s questioning my phrasing about our relationship status when lives are on the line. My phone buzzes again. It’s a number I don’t recognize.

Unknown number:Hello, Mr Barberi. I am Dominic Caruso’s lawyer. Please be at the following address at 1 pm tomorrow to handle your divorce proceedings.

I stare at the address, grinding my teeth. A sick, cowardly part of me wants to go along with this. I gave years of my life to Lucy. Let her repay the favor. I could even propose to my niece once she’s no longer my niece. Perhaps I can finally allow myself to feel something. Maybe I don’t have to be cold. I don’t have to be a nightmare, a barbarian.

But no. I can’t. Lucy doesn’t deserve this. IfSaviormeans a goddamn thing, it’s that I never let things like this happen.

Arriana:Nico,are you there?

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