Page 81 of Angelo

“Yes?”

"I feel like I can finally breathe again."

“What were you doing before?”

“Slowly dying.”

She laughed softly. “Being a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

"Come home to me,cuore mio," he urged huskily. "I cannot be whole without my wife."

Elyse's eyes stung with emotion. "Alessio..."

"I am sorry for always keeping you in the dark. I only pushed you away because I did not know how else to stop myself from begging you to stay. The distance I kept was more for my sake, I think, than yours. It has been pure hell, knowing that you might leave when all I wanted was to hold on and never let go.”

His words had a profound effect on her.

"I can see why you acted the way you did," she offered gently, "even though I don't like the way you handled it."

"It will not happen anymore.Now that I know where you stand. From now on, I will come to you first whenever decisions need to be made."

"You better," she half-joked and half-threatened.

"Trust me, I have learned my lesson, and I will never risk losing you again."

Her breath hitched. The distance between Palermo and New York City stretched more than 7,000 miles, but Elyse had never felt closer to her husband. "I love you, Alessio."

"I love you, too, Elyse. More than life itself."

And she believed him with every fiber of her being.

On day ten, Elyse wrapped up the last of her father's affairs and flew back to Sicily.

After fifteen hours in the air, she finally stepped through the arrivals gate at Falcone Borsellino Airport. Elyse dragged her carry-on through the throngs of other passengers. Then, through the crowds, green found brown and blue-gray.

Joy radiated from her when she saw Alessandro.

He stood there with a face-wide grin and bright eyes. She ran to her husband without another word. Alessandro swept her into his arms and kissed the living daylights out of her. Parting with him had been so bitter. It made their reunion feel even sweeter.

When they parted from their kiss, Alessandro gazed down at Elyse with a wry expression. “I missed you so much that it fucking hurt.Dio, to have you here, at last, in my arms feels like a dream.”

Smiling, she glanced up at him with flushed cheeks. "I was only gone for ten days.”

“It felt like an endless purgatory.”

Unable to resist, Elyse hugged him again. She buried her face into the crook of his neck. “It is so good to see you, baby.”

His arms came around her as well. Alessandro clung to her as though he might never let go. “Elyse?”

Her face tilted up. “Yes?”

As their gazes locked, she saw the softness in his eyes fade away. His expression soon turned hard and grim. "There is nothing I want more than to tell everyone to fuck off today so I can keep you all for myself.”

She pouted. “So why don’t you?”

“Because I amcapo, you are thecapo’swife, and our work is never done.”

Alarm seized her.Mierda. "What happened?"

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