King of Vegas: Part Two: Forbidden Love Mafia Romance (Kings of Commission Series Book 3) by A.J. Wyatt

Author:A.J. Wyatt [Wyatt, A.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

13

TAHLIA DI NAPOLI

“Is everything alright?” I ask, confusion and worry etched in my tone.

He gently sets me down again, his burning, insistent touch falling away as he steps away from me.

Just a second ago, he was demanding I admit the depth of my feelings for him, and with a few words from Mrs. Gibbs, he distanced himself. His piercing blue gaze is now clouded and a million miles away. I’m not sure which version of this man is the one I want—the one who claims my heart, my entire being, and insists on giving up everything I know, or the one keeping secrets from me.

He doesn’t answer me, turning away to stride toward his office where Mrs. Gibbs went to leave the message from the doctor. Straightening my dress, I follow him, my heart racing. Standing in the doorway, I watch my husband read the small piece of paper with a hard look on his face. His knuckles are white, his jaw clenched as if he’s readying for an invisible blow.

“Vincenzo?” I ask again, my voice soft and careful, but he doesn’t meet my gaze. “Who’s—”

“My mother.” The words are choked, grated.

“Your mother?” I ask, confusion intertwined with empathy at the wounded tone in his voice. “I don’t understand.”

A harsh, mirthless laugh escapes him. “You wouldn’t. Nobody would.”

“Then help me understand.” I move closer to him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He turns rigid beneath my touch, and I drop my hand, struggling not to show the hurt. “What do you mean?”

Still he doesn’t answer me, and I can’t fight the hurt and annoyance rising up inside of me.

“A moment ago, you wanted me to accept the pending death of my brothers, forget about my family, so I can stand by your side as your wife and be a part of Cosa Nostra. Yet now, you can’t even look me in the eye and give me a simple explanation as to what has you tied in knots.”

Chest heaving, I turn away, ready to leave and give up on trying to reach him.

“My mother is in a mental institution.” He breaks the silence, his tone hard and not giving anything away. “She doesn’t always know what’s going on around her. She escapes inside her own mind.”

“Vincenzo…” I face him again, my heart breaking as much as is capable. I never knew my own mother, and for that reason, I can’t imagine how he must feel. Perhaps it’s the same on some level, him wishing he knew who his mother was and that she could know him in return. Though, I’m sure it’s worse knowing your mother is right in front of you and doesn’t recognize you.

“It is what it is,” he says, shoving down the emotions threatening to surface. “She’s been this way for a long time. I’m used to it.”

“She’s still your mother, your family.”

Hurt flashes in his eyes as he turns away from me again. “My family for many years have been Rico, Frankie, and Cyro. Cosa Nostra is all I have left, and I’ll be damned if I lose it to anybody.

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