Page 126 of Beautiful Desire

“I know this is a lot to take in, but I need you to listen. I was born Arturo Bianchi, son of Giuliano Bianchi of the Cosa Nostra in Sicily,” Dom repeats.

“What?!” I shout, my voice rising in shock.

Lily fusses in my arms, and I gently rock her back and forth. Once she’s settled, Dom starts again.

“I know this doesn’t make sense right now, which is why I need you to let me explain. It isn’t what it seems.”

Nothing he has said so far has made sense. This feels like some kind of weird dream, and I’m just hoping that soon I’m going to wake up and this will all be over.

“As a son of Giuliano Bianchi, I was destined for a life of crime. But that’s not the life I wanted. That flight we took to Italy for Fabi and Gia’s wedding was the first time I’d been back since the night of my sixteenth birthday.”

His attention flickers to Fabi at the mention of his and Gia’s wedding.

“I’ve been in the States ever since I ran away. When I arrived here, I had to change my name to make sure my father wouldn’t find me. I worked my ass off to make a good name and a good life for myself. I was fourteen when I saw my brother, Alessio, carry out his initiation. He had to kill a man in order tojoin the family business.And once I found out, I knew I had to leave and start a new life here, free from the Cosa Nostra. I had everything planned. Me, my best friend, Massimo, and his mom, Bianca. We were going to leave. Get away from that life. None of us wanted any part of it,” he finishes, and his eyes are on Melinda as he gives her a sad smile.

Looking up at Dom, my mind reels from everything he’s telling me as my brain picks up bits and pieces, recalling what he’s saying. Am I the only one finding out all this information now?

My brain overflows with thoughts as I look around at the others in the room. The look on Gia’s face confirms this is all new information to her too.

Continuing, he says, “I had to be smart, though. I couldn’t just leave unprepared. So, I had to wait it out. I started saving some money and even managed to get the three of us new passports. The night of my sixteenth birthday, when we were meant to leave, everything went wrong.”

He stops pacing and rakes his hands through his hair, pulling on it, before rubbing them down over his face and letting out a low grumble. “I should have known better than to give Mass his share of the money. I should have waited until it was time.”

Making his way over to me, Dom sits on the edge of the coffee table in front of me, clasping his hands together while resting his arms on his knees.

Expelling a deep breath, he hangs his head and starts talking again. “That day was the worst day of my life. A feeling of impending doom followed me around like a shadow the entire day. I knew what was coming, and I knew I had to get out of there, but I still had to go through with my initiation.”

I watch as his jaw works back and forth. When he stops talking, anger radiates from him as he squeezes his hands.

Initiation? What the hell does he mean by that? Isn’t that for like joining a cult or something?

Melinda moves, sitting almost on the edge of the cushion as she reaches out and grabs on to Dom’s arm. There’s a slight crack in his voice when he speaks this time.

“In the eyes of my father, a boy doesn’t become a real man until he has the blood of another on his hands.”

My eyes almost pop out of their sockets when his words register in my head. Is he saying… Did he…

No. A chill shoots up my spine as realization dawns on me.

“Dom—”

As I look up from Lily, he holds his hand up. “Please, Elle. I need to tell you this.”

When I glance over at Melinda, she gives me a small nod with an apologetic smile on her face. I nod in agreement, allowing him to carry on.

Sitting upright, he takes in a lungful of air and twists and plays with his hands, a nervous energy now surrounding him. “Elle, I need you to understand what I’m about to tell you isnotsomething I’m proud of. I’ll carry the guilt of what happened that night with me for the rest of my life.”

I watch as he looks over at Melinda, who now has tears in her eyes. His eyes come back to meet mine, and I can see the regret and hurt swirling behind them when he continues.

“Massimo was my best friend. His mother was one of the maids who worked for my father, and he wanted to get her away from that lifestyle too. I had a secret spot hidden deep in the land surrounding my father’s house where we would meet. It’s where we kept the passports and cash for when we were ready to leave. I decided to give Mass his half of the cash in case something came up and I got delayed. At least with the money, he and Bianca could still make a run for it.”

He stops and shakes his head before continuing again.

“But what none of us were counting on was that my father would catch Mass with the cash. My papa was a cruel man. He decided to test me to the limits. My initiation into the family business to prove myself as a man was tokillMassimo.”

My heart rate spikes, and a sick feeling swirls in my stomach. No, there’s no way he could.

“I didn’t want to. I knew there were only two options that night. Either I killed Mass and lived, getting the chance to run far, far away from that place and still have a chance to get myself and Bianca out. Or I refused to kill him, and my father would have both of us killed.” Raw emotion clogs his voice as finishes talking.

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