Page 87 of Mafia Toy

“Of course I can,” he shouted. “She has been threatening Sage!”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“She has been threatening Sage,” he repeated, voice sharp.

“You’re lying,” I said.

Of course Bethany didn’t like Sage—she thought Sage was sleeping with my husband behind my back—but that didn’t mean that Bethany had been threatening her. They had barely even seen each other. And never alone.

“We have been on vacation for the past week,” I said, unable to believe that this had happened.

Sage would’ve mentioned it at some point, wouldn’t she? It never even seemed like anything was wrong.

“When she went to that art festival, Bethany showed up and threw soda at her and her friend. That’s why they were at her place.” Constantino stepped forward, nostrils flared. “And then I came home to find her in my house.Again.”

I crossed my arms. “It’s not fair. You can’t be angry with me when nobody even told me that this happened! How am I supposed to believe anything you say after my best friend comes crying to me, completely mutilated?”

“Because I’m your husband!” he shouted, his voice almost … trembling.

He sounded so vulnerable, so defeated.

“I’m your husband, Laila,” he said. “That’s why you’re supposed to believe me.” He turned away from me, ran a hand through his hair, and shook his head, his entire body tensing again. “But you want to know why nobody tells you?” he growled. “It’s because you never believe them! I have been telling you all this shit about Bethany for years now, and you haven’t believed a word I said about her.”

Guilt rushed through me, and I stared at the ground. “Sage didn’t say anything.”

“Why would Sage think you’d believe her if she did say something?” Constantino asked. “You acted like a bitch to her after Bethany tossed her food into the trash. Of course she’s not going to say shit about Bethany in front of you.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. If this was true … if Bethany had threatened her, then I would need to talk to Bethany. But that didn’t give Constantino the right to rip out all of Bethany’s fingernails and beat the shit out of her.

“I know you pulled out her IUD. If you’re going to make me put a baby inside her and also let Bethany threaten her,” Constantino growled, “then I can’t fucking do this. I’m not bringing a baby into the world when she’s still your fucking friend. So, choose.”

“I’m not going to choose after what you just did to Bethany! You hurt her.”

“You think everyone has a good heart and good intentions because you do,” he said. “But they don’t, Laila. Some people, like that bitch and my brother, are out to fucking get you. Get us. So, choose.”

52

laila

“Please don’t makeme do this,” I pleaded with my husband.

I didn’t want to choose between Bethany and Sage. Bethany had been my friend for years, and Sage had just come into my life, but I didn’t want to get rid of either of them. Though after what Constantino had told me about what Bethany had done to Sage …

I didn’t want to believe it, but I did.

Bethany was a bitch to the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And I had been a bitch to Sage in so many ways. Pulling out her IUD so my husband could get her pregnant? Ditching her for Bethany? Blaming her when Constantino had hurt my best friend?

“Please don’t make me choose between them,” I whispered.

“I’m not making you choose between them,” Constantino said, but there was more than that. There had to be more than that. “I’m making you choose between Bethany and us. Between Bethany or Sage and me. Between your lousy friend or your family.”

Tears welled up in my eyes at the guilt and hurt that I felt for Constantino even having toaskme that question. We had been together for years. He had done anything and everything I had asked of him, even let another woman into our marriage.

Of course I would choose him.

“Laila,” Constantino growled, “now.”

“You should know the answer, Constantino,” I cried. “Why are you even asking me—”

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