Page 131 of The Beautiful Dead

Domino went utterly still.

Salvatore exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. “After the boys’ mother died, I was lucky enough to fall in love again. Catalina was too good, too pure for our world. But the heart wants what it wants. Even if she was the sister of my enemy.” His voice turned raw at the edges, old wounds splitting open beneath the weight of the truth.

Domino’s fist curled against the table, knuckles whitening. “You expect me to believe that?”

Salvatore’s gaze darkened, something almost wounded flashing in his expression before it was buried beneath cold resolve. “Believe what you want. She thought our union could end the fighting between our families. But Federico has always been power-hungry and unwilling to work for it. He takes the easiest route—no matter the cost.”

Silence.

Luca huffed out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “So, what? You expect us to just accept him?” He looked pointedly at Domino. “As one of us?”

Salvatore didn’t blink. “Yes.”

Luca was like a rabid dog with a bone, refusing to let it go. “After all the blood he’s spilled in the DeMarco name?”

Salvatore’s patience snapped, his voice a razor-edged snarl. “You don’t get a choice in this.” His jaw tensed, hands pressing flat against the table. “Domino is my son too, and I want him to be part of our family.”

Domino leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest, his expression blank—the storm in his eyes was anything but.

“That’s touching.” Domino’s voice was empty, hollowed out. “But we didn’t come here for a fucking love story.”

Salvatore swallowed whatever emotion flickered in his gaze, nodding once. “No. You came for the truth. And something else. You listen to what I have to say, then we’ll hear you out.”

A muscle ticked in Domino’s jaw. “Alright. But don’t leave anything out.”

“Thank you.” The tension in Salvatore’s shoulders eased, but it was fragile, a thread ready to snap.

His voice softened. “As I said, I fell in love with Catalina. Her laugh, the light in her dark green eyes... just like yours, son.”His gaze turned distant, lost in a memory. He cleared his throat, shaking himself free of the past. “I haven’t thought about her in years?—”

The table shook. Domino’s hand smashed down, glasses rattling from the impact. His breathing was heavy and ragged, something was breaking loose inside him.

I didn’t think about it. I just moved closer, shifting so our bodies touched from shoulder to thigh to ankle, a silent tether.

Elio tracked the movement, his eyes flickering with something like amusement—before his expression shut down entirely.

Salvatore swallowed, voice raw. “It’s been too painful to revisit the past…” He took a long sip of the golden liquid in his glass, as if it could burn away the words he didn’t want to say.

“We were planning to elope when Federico found out about us. Catalina tried to reason with him, but he refused to hear her. Said he didn’t want to be connected to us in any way and took her away from me.” His hand clenched into a fist. “I had men combing the country trying to find her, but it was like she’d vanished. For three months, she was a ghost haunting me every time I closed my eyes.” His voice cracked at the end, a deep wound left gaping open.

Domino’s voice was low, almost dangerous. “What did he do?”

It wasn’t a question. It was a confirmation of what he already knew.

Salvatore exhaled through his nose. “He held her hostage at his compound. At that time, I didn’t have anyone on the inside.” His fingers dug into the wooden table, the pain almost too much to voice.

“Catalina was too bright to be caged. She managed to escape using the tunnels leading off the property. She walked to the outskirts of Marlow Heights and caught a cab here.”

Salvatore lifted his gaze, the memory cutting through him. “When she arrived, she told me she was pregnant.”

Domino’s breath hitched, but he didn’t speak.

“I was overjoyed.” Salvatore’s voice was thick, his eyes glassy. “Nothing means more to me than family. To have another child… it was a blessing.”

Domino let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Federico has always treated me like a curse.”

Salvatore’s jaw clenched. “No. A weapon.”

Domino’s fingers curled into his palm, but he nodded.

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