Page 64 of Sweetest Sin
“But you weren’t there when my dad brought his violent job home and took it out on my mom. I would hear her beg him to stop as he hit her and hurt her, and then he’d spend the next several days apologizing and promising he would never do it again,” I choke out, hating that after all these years, it still makes me emotional.
“You weren’t there when my mom finally saved enough money and accumulated enough evidence against him so that she could escape him. Is that what you want? For me to live infear that, one day, you’re going to get violent with me—or worse, our son?”
“Dominick would never hurt you,” a feminine voice says.
When I turn, I find Brielle sauntering into the office. She’s dressed in a cute, short black dress that’s cinched around her waist, showing off her curves, while the top is modest with short sleeves and a turtleneck. Her blonde hair is pin straight, and her makeup is flawless. She’s sporting a pair of black heels with the signature red soles, and she’s glaring at me like I personally offended her.
“You don’t know that,” I tell her.
“Yes, I do,” she says, stopping in front of me. “We grew up with an abusive father who hit our mother, and Dominick and Matteo would defend her, earning themselves beatings.”
I gasp in shock and glance at Dominick, who’s now sitting up, clenching his jaw and glaring at his sister.
“Brielle,” he warns, “I don’t need you to?—”
“No,” she cuts him off. “I’m not going to listen to her accuse you of things you aren’t capable of.” She looks at him briefly before turning back to me. “My brother might be a lot of things, but he would never hurt a woman or child. I get not wanting to be a part of this world. Most days, I hate it, too, but to keep that little boy from his father, out of fear that Dominick would hurt him, is wrong.”
Tears fill her eyes as she looks at me, speaking with conviction. “He spent years protecting me from our abusive father. You want to know why he still lives in our family home instead of moving out and getting his own place? Because he refused to leave our mother. He knew once he was bigger and stronger than our father, he wouldn’t touch our mother. So, he stayed to protect her. The same reason Matteo stayed.”
“Why didn’t she leave?” I ask, needing to know … needing to understand.
“Because he would’ve had her killed,” Dominick says.
“You’ve killed other people,” I point out. “Why didn’t you kill him?”
“Because we would’ve lost everything,” he admits. “Andrey was a very smart businessman, and when he realized he couldn’t control us with his fists, he controlled us with his money and power. My entire world was wrapped up in the business, and he made it so that if he died, we’d get nothing. So, knowing that my mother and sister were safe, I plotted his demise. But it thankfully happened sooner.”
“The night we were in the Dominican Republic,” I finish.
“Yes,” he says with a nod. “I left the DR to come home and bury Andrey and put out fires. I told myself it was for the best because I never wanted you to be involved in this life.”
“Yet you’re dragging me and Damien into it.”
“You can’t expect him to live without his son,” Brielle says, reminding me that she’s still here. “That’s not fair.”
I swallow thickly as I take in the sadness in her eyes, in her words, and I’m at a loss as to what to do.
“I can’t change the way things are,” Dominick says. “My world is violent, but I will keep our son safe. I won’t let anything happen to him, and I will give him everything I have to give. Money, clothes, vacations, the best school …”
“He doesn’t need any of that,” I choke out. “All he needs is to feel loved and safe.”
“And he will be,” Dominick promises, his gray eyes locking with mine. “He’s already loved. But now, he’ll be loved by more people. By my mother, my sister, my brother … and we will all protect him.”
“With our lives,” Brielle adds. “And the same goes for you. You’re family now. And we take care of and protect our own.” She turns to Dominick. “I’m sorry for forgetting that.”
I don’t know what she’s referring to when she apologizes, and I don’t hear what Dominick says in response because my brain is currently stuck on what she just said.
“You’re family now. And we take care of and protect our own.”
Family.
For so long, I’ve been on my own. Even when my mom was alive, she was sick. It was just me taking care of her and then Damien. I can’t even recall a time when anyone cared for or protected me. The thought of someone looking after me for once feels like a fever dream.
“So, where do we go from here?” I ask Dominick. “I don’t agree with your life and business choices, but I also don’t want to keep our son from you.”
“I’m going to let you guys talk,” Brielle says, stepping back toward the door.
“Did you need something?” Dominick asks her.
