Page 167 of Divine Obsession

“At the same time, my uncle in Tokyo was killed. I had no choice but to leave and take over the family’s operations there.The timing was…Convenient. They knew I wouldn’t have time to question anything.”

We sat in silence for a moment, his eyes locked on me, waiting for my response.

I shook my head, the pieces falling into place. “You should’ve talked to me,” I said, my voice trembling. “You should’ve given me a choice, Trevor. You didn’t trust me enough to handle it.”

His jaw tightened, his expression pained. “I know. And I’ve regretted it every day since.” He brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “If I’d stayed, they would’ve kept coming after us. I couldn’t risk putting you in danger, not when I didn’t know who I could trust.”

The weight of his words settled over me, mingling with the ache that had been there for years. I understood now – understood the impossible position he’d been in – but that didn’t erase the hurt.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at him again. “When you left my place earlier… Did you go see Gìo?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you punch him?”

He nodded.

I frowned. “Good. He’s an asshole.”

“Baby…”

“I thought he was a friend. But he’s just another enemy.”

“This was between me and him. Business pay-back.”

I shook my head. “It affected me too. He was supposed to be a trusted friend.”

I looked down at the pancakes, at the carefully written words in chocolate, and my heart twisted.

“I can’t be with you until I forgive you,” I said finally, meeting his gaze. “And like I told you this afternoon, that hasn’t happened yet.”

His shoulders tensed slightly, but he nodded. “I’ll wait, Natalia. As long as it takes.”

The sincerity in his voice made my chest ache, but I didn’t let it show. I picked up my fork, cutting into the pancakes, and took a bite. “Good,” I said, trying to keep my tone light, even though the weight of the conversation lingered. “Because I don’t plan on rushing this.”

Trevor smiled faintly as he watched me eat, the unspoken tension still heavy between us. For now, it would have to be enough.

Chapter 44

ONE MONTH LATER

Present

Friday night was uneventful as usual. I didn’t really go out as much as I used to; I’d gotten all that out of my system in college. Partying with Kali and Francesca – and Maria since she got back to New York – was always an experience.

I hadn’t confronted my fatherorGìo yet – just kept my distance and avoided all communication. I wasn’t ready for that conversation yet.

I hadn’t gone over to dad’s and Ines’ for Sunday dinner in a month, or helped with the Moretti’s criminal business except for the Yakuza job it concerned Trevor too. I’d also quit helping Gìo with the club.

An entire month passed since my first date with Trevor. Things had changed between us –drastically– making me believe there could actually be a future for us.

I was still nowhere near where Trevor was. He was talking about me beingit. Him being theonlyone for me. That he and I were theonlyoption…

It was making my head spin.

He was beingunbelievablydirect. Yet I was still finding it hard to trust him.

Trevor took me on dinner dates every other night or so, depending on my mood. He’d originally wanted to do that every night, but I told him I couldn’t handle going out that much.

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