Page 1 of Possessive Vows

Chapter 1

Camilla Vivaldi

My body bumpsagainst something, but it’s the eyes mirroring the panic in my soul that pulls me out of my disassociation. The woman looks familiar, but my brain refuses to reach for her name or tell me where I saw her before, insisting the bubble of nothing in my mind is the safest place for me even as my senses slowly tune in to the world around me.

Green trees rustle in the breeze and blue covers the sky. Dozens of people walk the paths. Families laugh in the fields.

The placard on a nearby bench reads Central Park along the bottom.

The woman I bumped into shifts her gaze to look at something behind me. No, not something. Someone.

Muffled sounds filter through the cotton in my ears, but I instinctively shy away from the masculine voice and focus on my other senses.

Sourness coats my tongue. Saliva floods my mouth as I push the piece of hard candy against my teeth. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s shockingly sour. My stomach clenches, warning me against swallowing, but I have no choice as more saliva pools in my mouth.

Paper crinkles in my left hand, the sensation weird without the audible cues, and the leather of my purse digs into the fingertips of my right hand.

The woman inhales and parts her lips as though to speak, but she shakes her head and runs her fingers through her long hair. My mind uses the pause to fill in what I missed.

“Miss Denaro? What are you doing in New York?” my bodyguard asks.

She glances behind her.

“My father came on a business trip, so I tagged along to meet my fiancé, but I thought I saw… never mind. Obviously, I’m not being the most observant today. I’m so sorry, Camilla. Are you okay?”

The world clicks into real time and information overwhelms my mind.

I just blindly collided with Valentina Denaro, the only heir of San Francisco’s most powerful mafia don, in Central Park with my bodyguards trailing behind me and Loretta Giordano beside me.

I correct myself. She’s not a Giordano anymore. Loretta married Ermanno Mancini a few days ago. I’ve only met her twice, but my sister trusts her, so I’ll give her a chance.

My stomach churns as I swallow another overly sour mouthful of saliva.

Loretta takes my purse from my tingling fingers. She addresses Valentina as she opens the clasp and digs inside.

“She’s not ignoring you, I swear. I think I just accidentally gave her a sour candy instead of a caramel. Hang on. Here, Camilla.”

She places a tissue in my frozen hand. I accept the prompt and spit the candy into the tissue and resist the urge to scrub my tongue by folding it into a neat little square.

Loretta offers me her can of pop, and even though I don’t really know her and I hate the brand and flavor, I take it and down several gulps before offering it back with a lame thanks.

She hands me my purse and I take it without thought as I meet Valentina’s eyes.

“I’m okay. You?” I ask.

She assures me she’s fine, so I introduce the women to each other and nod when Valentina excuses herself after exchanging a few pleasantries.

Loretta takes a step forward, and I naturally follow her lead. We walk along the path in silence for a few minutes, my companion sensing my need to gather myself.

Despite the beautiful scenery, dark visions play in my mind.

A man attacked Loretta in her twin sister’s apartment a few days ago. Her jewelry recorded the entire thing. She brought the videos to me in hopes I could identify her attacker.

He didn’t look familiar, but I barely glimpsed the three men who snatched me up from the wreckage before they blindfolded me. They never took it off after.

But his voice transported me back into the depths of my misery and pain.

Before my mind retreats into itself again, I tilt my face into the sunlight, count the clouds in the sky, and mentally recite the words my therapist drilled into my mind.

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