Page 9 of When Sinners Dare

We edge around to the two empty seats at the table, and I direct Antony to sit in mine as I take the seat Elias used to sit in. For the first time since she returned, Mother looks at me. Cold, evil eyes bore into mine, and I hate that there’s a comfort to that familiarity.

“Mariana, what are you doing?” Abel addresses me.

“Sitting down to dinner, Brother.” I keep hold of Antony’s hand.

He looks across to Antony. “Sitting down to family dinner. It wasn’t an invitation for guests.”

“It wasn’t an invitation at all. It was a summons. And you didn’t have the decency to do it yourself.” I hear Shaw’s intake of breath and snap my head to look at him down the table. He’s got a grin on his face and is stifling his laughter. “Got something to say, Shaw?”

“Oh, plenty, but I’m going to let them rip you to shreds.”

As if on cue, a barrage of voices rise around us, and they all shout over the top of each other.

“This isn’t the time, Mariana.”

“You have no right to sit there.”

“What are you playing at?”

“You don’t bring people into this family without permission!” Mother shouts, slamming her glass down. “Boyfriend? No. You don’t get to choose. You don’t get to dictate. Not to us.” She stands, and all the other voices around the table seize. “Always ungrateful.”

“Abel, are you going to let her talk to me like this?” I look to him, after all, he stopped it when Mother was disrespecting Lexi.

He looks over at me and crosses his arms. “What did you think would happen here, Mariana?” Betrayal flares in my chest. One rule for him, another for me.

“You need to leave,” Dante speaks directly to Antony.

“He’s not going anywhere,” I defend.

“Wanna bet?”

“I thought you’d be on my side, Dante. You have Wren. Why can’t I have a boyfriend?” I grit the words through clenched teeth.

“You’re not doing this because you want a boyfriend,” Abel’s voice booms over the others.

Antony stands. “Maybe I should leave.”

“No.” I shake my head. “They’re just being rude.”

Dante stands with him, comes around the table, slaps his shoulder with his hand and starts dragging him away. “Finally, some fucking sense. I’ll show you out.”

“Dante, please.” I look at him, pleading with him to back me, but he just shakes his head and carries on walking.

My gaze glances at everyone. Wren’s head is lowered like she’s avoiding the confrontation.

“Of all the days,” Lexi chastises.

Real anger brims inside of me. “Don’t you fucking talk to me like that. I might have to take it from my family, but I won’t take it from you.”

“Watch your tongue, Mariana,” Abel snaps.

“Watch your wife,” I fire back. “But good to know where your loyalty really lies.”

“You disrespect us! You disrespect everyone at this table,” Mother screeches, smashing her glass on the floor for good measure. “You’ll regret bringing that boy to the family, you mark my words.” Her threat casts a silence over the squabbling.

I look around at my family, taking in the disapproval on their faces, and I wonder what I’ve ever done to deserve this treatment. Pain thuds in my chest, much worse than the sting of any of the slaps mother ever dished out. Wren was welcomed, as was Lexi. But apparently, the rules are different for me.

“Well, back at you. None of you respect me or my choices. I’m seeing Antony, and I don’t care what you say.”

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