Page 52 of Sinful Daughter (Dark Mafia Sins 2)

Grant’s words in the car repeat in my head. They stab and twist in my already broken heart. Theo is the love of my life. No matter if I tell myself not to think about him, his face, his kisses hit me at full-force. I should have fought harder for him. Instead of feeling like I was backed into a corner, I should have fought. I thought by not fighting it would make him happy. I thought I was protecting him.

When the water turns cold, I step out, wrapping myself in a towel before falling into bed. I stay there, refusing to enjoy my life if Theo is dead.

“Aria, you needto get up and eat something,” my mother says gently, placing a cup of tea beside my bed. I groan and pull my covers over my head. She moves the material away from my face. My cheeks are still tear-stained from crying.

“Mom, I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.” She takes a seat on my bed.

“I’m in love with Theo Fox.”

She doesn’t show any signs of shock. Her hand rests on my shoulder. “Honey, I’m sorry that life never works out the way we plan.” She places a rolled-up newspaper beside my tea. “But sometimes we need to be thankful for unanswered prayers.”

“My heart hurts too much to be thankful.”

“Time will always tell. It may not heal what you’re feeling, but time has a way of allowing us to see the bigger picture.” My mother kisses me on the cheek and leaves, closing the door behind her.

Turning over, I take a sip of the tea before my hand goes to the newspaper.

Sliding the elastic off, I open the paper up. There’s a large picture of Theo on the front page. The article talks about organized crime in the area increasing and how Theo was shot on duty, similar to his father beforehand. It also goes on to say that Theo has no living relatives.

The thought makes me sad that there’s no one to mourn him. In years to come, he won’t be thought about. I cry all over again. I make him a silent promise that I will keep his memory alive. I will make sure that he’s not forgotten.

After another hour of crying, I stand up, get dressed, and go to my father’s office. When I walk in, he’s with my brother.

“I need to talk to you, Father.”

My brother stands, heading out.

“Aria, I’m happy to see you are dressed and moving around the house. I’m sorry Marco’s death has been hard on you.”

“Cut the shit. We both know I never loved Marco.” I slam down the newspaper. My father looks at it, then to me, one eyebrow rising. “I’m going to Theo’s funeral.”

An exhausted sigh leaves him. “Aria, I don’t believe that’s a good idea.”

“I loved him!” I yell. Tears threaten to invade me once again, but I hold them back as much as I can.

“You can never be with someone like Theo Fox. I will never allow it. For fuck’s sake, Aria, he was a damn cop!”

“I don’t care!”

The wooden desk shakes under the pressure of my father’s fist slamming down. I swear I hear splintering in the wood from the force.

“Little girl—” I cut him off.

“I’m a grown-ass woman!”

“You will always be my little girl, and I protect what’s mine!” he yells back at me. My father has never yelled at me a day in his life. It’s terrifying, and I fight to keep my courage.

“Father, get this straight. Other than my job, you get no control over my life. I will never marry. If you so much as try to force me like you did with Marco, you will lose me forever.”

“Forever is a long time, Aria. Be sure you can live with the consequences before you throw down promises.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, and I will be going to the funeral with or without your blessing.”

CHAPTER 33

“Here.” I’m tosseda fast-food bag. The sudden noise causes me to jump, but I’m too late to turn off one of my viewing cameras. I open up the greasy bag and take a large bite of my burger. I point toward one of the screens that show Hugo and Coy Campisi. As hoped, Nicoli’s attention goes there instead of my other screens. Hugo was the underboss to Mancini, and he and his son have been gaining power and trying to secure the leadership role in the territory beside us.

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