Page 79 of Beautiful Enemy

“I can’t, baby.” His hand falls away, leaving me cold. “Not until I’ve gotten my revenge. And right now, Ivan Romanov just moved up to first place on my list. I have to go kill him for stabbing me.”

“He has a daughter. She’s eighteen. She’s too young to lose her father.”

“I lost my parents when I was only fifteen. My father got drunk and went on a bender and was found in an alleyway and then my mother couldn’t handle the pain of it, so she killed herself.”

I gasp. Never has Dante told me something so vulnerable about himself. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you have known?”

“But just because you lost your parents young doesn’t mean you should take away the parent of someone else.”

“If that person happened to stab me, then yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Arguing with Dante is pointless. He’s not going to change his mind. But maybe there’s a different tactic I can try.

“What were your parents like?”

He blinks, clearly surprised by the change in conversation topic. “Like I said, my father was a drunk. A deadbeat. He didn’t love me or his wife. He couldn’t fucking stand us.”

“Sounds similar to my father,” I whisper. “He hates me and Anya.”

“Guess we have something in common then.”

“And your mother?”

“She was a scared woman. She was tired. She just let him yell at her. But she loved him. It was like they were magnets. No matter how fucked up they were, they always loved each other. I know my dad didn’t mean to die. He just couldn’t stop his drinking. But my mother took her own life, leaving me behind. I fucking hate her for it.”

“What happened to you… after they died?”

He gazes at me for a long, silent moment. “I was put into the system. I was only fifteen after all. But I never did stay in any one home for very long. I ended up getting involved in a gang and that’s how I met Antonio De Luca. He was running the Mafia back in the day. I think he found me amusing. Took me under his wing. Showed me what to do in this life. And when he died and it was time for someone new to take over, I did.” His eyes are wistful before they harden. “Until Erik tried to kill me and left me for dead and I had to work my way up from the bottom again.”

There’s so much pain and anger and sadness in Dante’s voice. It makes me want to hold him. Comfort him.

“I lost my mom when I was seven. It was the hardest point in my life. I felt unmoored. Thankfully, Anya raised me. She took over as my mother figure even though she was just ten herself. Just a kid.”

“Why are you telling me this?” he asks. “Aren’t you worried I’ll use this information against you?”

“You just told me your life story. So no, I’m not worried you’ll use my life story against me. I just wanted you to know that I understand your pain. I understand your betrayal. My father betrayed me when he hurt me and Anya every day of our lives.”

“So you understand. The need to get revenge on him.”

“No. I may hate my father but ever since I moved in with Erik and Anya, I haven’t given my father a lot of thought. He’s just not worth it.”

Dante scoffs softly. “So, you’re saying that my hate for Erik is just not worth it. That I should put it aside.”

“I’m not saying that. Not exactly. I’m just saying that there’s another way to live your life. One that doesn’t have to involve torture and pain and blood. One that doesn’t lead to you getting stabbed by a man who just wants to protect his daughter.”

“Those are all good points. But I’m not you, Nadia. I’m not a good person. And once I’m feeling better, I’m going after Ivan Romanov and I’m going to kill him. If you can’t accept that about me, then you never should have helped me.”

“I hate you,” I whisper.

“Then why did you save me?”

Dante is in my head, making me feel conflicted. I don’t know what’s up from down anymore.

“I’ll just leave then and warn Ivan that you’re coming for him.”

“You’re not leaving. Not now that I have you back here.”

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