Page 100 of Dance of Deception

Vito grins, straightening his suit. “Good. Now, let’s go get you married.”

18

LYRA

The church feels suffocating:the dress too tight, the air too warm as I feel the weight of every pair of eyes crushing me, a physical pressure on my spine.

The priest speaks, but the words sound distant, like I’m underwater, barely able to puzzle out the shape of them. I focus on my breathing, on making sure my voice doesn’t crack when it’s my turn to speak.

“I do.”

The words come out softer than I wanted, but they carry, ringing through the cavernous space.

Carmine’s response is steady, unyielding. “I do.”

His hand is warm when he takes mine, sliding the ring onto my finger.

The finality of it all sinks into my very bones, cold and inescapable.

The priest lifts his hands in a benediction. I barely hear him. The words blur together. Husband and wife. Bound together.

Forever.

Carmine’s hand slides to the back of my head, fingers weaving into my hair, his grip not tender, not hesitant, but firm. Possessive. He leans in, and for a moment his lips are deceptively soft against mine. Then the pressure increases, becomes punishing, sealing the moment with a brutality that sucks the air from my lungs.

His teeth clamp down on my lip, making me flinch when I feel him bite just hard enough to bring the taste of copper to my mouth.

Applause ripples through the crowd as he pulls back, his eyes glinting.

Crimson on his lips.

It barely registers. My world has just shifted on its axis.

And there’s no turning back.

Today isn’t justabout the wedding. Actually, once we arrive at the Barone house, it feels like the wedding was only an appetizer.

The main event is Carmine’s coronation.

The last time I was here, the house felt different—grand, intimidating, but still alive. There were people moving through the halls, voices and music, warmth cutting through the coldelegance. It all made the house feel like more than just a monument to power.

Now, as Carmine leads me inside, all of that is gone. The house feels empty, stripped of anything human. It’s dark, quiet in a way that doesn’t feel peaceful. The chandeliers overhead cast a golden glow, but it doesn’t reach the corners. The walls feel closer, the air heavier.

It feels like a place where monumental things are decided. Not a home.

Or maybe the weird part is that this ismyhome now.

With Vito stepping down, and Carmine becoming don, the older Barone has moved to Dante and Bianca’s estate in Long Island. Most of the time, they’re at their place in the city anyway, so it suits everyone.

Out there, away from the weight of responsibility, Vito can do whatever he wants. And from what Bianca once told me with an exasperated laugh, in addition to playing golf, smoking cigars, and listening to Sinatra full blast, that also includes sunbathing.

Nude.

So that leaves this house, and the seat of power it represents, with Carmine.

…Andme, I suppose, since I’ve become the queen of a kingdom I never asked for.

Carmine leads me deeper into the house, past the grand staircase, past the ballroom. My face heats as his steps seem to slow just a bit as we pass by the guest bathroom where…

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