Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
He lets out a chuckle as he wraps a bandage around my hand. Usually, I wouldn’t give a flying fuck about the bruises showing, but it’s Gianna’s wedding.
Once he’s done, I walk into my bedroom and get dressed.
“Fifteen minutes until the wedding,” Nico says. “We need to leave now.”
I nod and follow him out of the room while shrugging on my jacket.
“Do you have your speech?” he asks as we step into the elevator.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I memorized it,” I say, so he’ll stop worrying.
We make our way to the SUV, and during the drive to the cathedral, my thoughts keep revolving around Sienna.
Over the years, she’s become more introverted. Sometimes she’s cold toward me, and other times she looks scared of me.
The thing I miss most is seeing affection in her eyes.
The SUV comes to a stop, and I close my eyes, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down even more, so I won’t worry my family.
“You’ve got this,” Nico says, his tone soft.
Meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror, I order, “Watch me when I’m around Sienna.”
“Always.”
I’m scared of what I’ll do when I finally snap, and the last thing I want is to hurt the woman I love.
Sienna
You’re here for Riccardo.
Deep breaths.
I took my anxiety medication right before we arrived, so I hope I can control my anxiety today.
Since I’ve been diagnosed with thanatophobia and started getting treatment, it’s gotten better. But whenever I know I’m going to see Christiano it always spirals out of control.
I feel the air shift and recognize the confident footsteps as they come up the aisle.
He’s here.
Lowering my head, I open my clutch and pretend to look for something.
“I almost thought you weren’t going to make it,” I hear Augusto say.
“I had last-minute business to take care of.”
The sound of Christiano’s rough and deep voice causes a tremble to spread through my body. My heart clenches before setting off at an anxious pace.
It’s been difficult watching him turn into a merciless man. Even though he’s been raised to rule the Cosa Nostra, I never thought he’d become so…brutal.
I’ve heard the gruesome stories of how Christiano is ruthlessly slaughtering the Irish whenever Augusto fills Dad in on what’s happening at work.
He stops right beside the pew I’m seated in, and with my heart beating even faster, I can’t stop myself from glancing at him. The first thing I see is the bandage around his hand.
I can guess how he got injured. He probably beat someone.
I take in the black tuxedo he’s wearing, which isn’t something I get to see him in often. He prefers black slacks and a black dress shirt. The sleeves are always rolled up to his elbows, and the style has become synonymous with him.
It really doesn’t matter what he wears, he always looks heartbreakingly hot.
The attraction I’ve been doing my best to suppress floods my abdomen like a tidal wave, and the love I feel for him makes my heart squeeze painfully in my chest.
Dad gets up and leans over me to shake Christiano’s hand. “Good to see you again.”
“You too.”
When Dad sits down, I feel Christiano’s eyes burning on me, and knowing I can’t be rude, I glance up just as he leans down.
Oh God.
My lips part, and my breath stalls when my eyes lock with his. There’s so much anger and ferociousness in his dominant gaze it makes fear slither through me.
Gone is the man I fell in love with. In his place is a ruthless capo.
“Princess.” His hand settles behind my head. He presses a kiss to my forehead, and like always, he lingers, and I hear him inhaling my scent.
My fingers twist together, and not even a second later, Christiano’s hand settles over both of mine. He squeezes, and it lessens some of the anxiety churning in my stomach while a warm sensation eases the pressure in my chest. My eyes fall shut, and I soak in the feel of his lips against my skin.
“It’s time,” Aunt Gabriella says as she hurries up the aisle. “Everyone, take your seats.”
Not caring that he’s holding up the ceremony, he takes another few seconds before he pulls away.
As I watch him sit down on the other side of the aisle, I can’t stop myself from drinking in the sight of him. The boyish charm is long gone. Now, all six-five feet of Christiano is muscle, tattoos, and scars. It matches his unforgiving personality.
I lower my head and stare at my hands, the warmth of his touch still lingering on my skin.
Where Christiano has become one of the most feared men in the world, I’ve…well, I haven’t achieved anything.
I haven’t conquered any of my demons, and I’m still an unstable mess who’s consumed by fear and anxiety.
Augusto is making a success of running the family business. Riccardo is getting married, and after his honeymoon, he’ll become Augusto’s underboss. Bianca might not work, but at least she studied fashion design and doesn’t hide from the world.