Chapter 2

My mother’s happy words choked the fight right out of my throat.

I couldn’t tell her the cruel truth. Not now.

"Mom... I'm a little tired. I'll call you back later," I said quickly, hanging up. My hands and feet felt like ice.

Blair stepped forward, the crunch of broken glass under his leather shoes grating on my nerves.

"You heard her. The invitations are out. Your mother is thrilled." He braced his hands on the vanity, trapping me against it. "The wedding is set. The entire underworld is watching us. If we call it off now, the Hillrose and Falcone families will be a laughingstock."

He knew my weakness. He always knew how to use my family to control me.

"So?" I laughed, a bitter, angry sound, and tilted my head back to glare into his blue eyes. "So you're using our families' honor to blackmail me into playing the fool in some three-person 'wedding of the century'?"

"Don't be dramatic, Flora," Blair said, his brow tight. "We built an empire together. This union is what's best for both our families. Are you really going to throw away our six years, everything we've built, over something so insignificant? That's not the woman I know."

"Insignificant?" I shoved him away, my chest heaving. "You married another woman! You made me the other woman without me even knowing! And you call that insignificant?!"

"It's a worthless piece of paper!" Blair's patience finally snapped. He grabbed my wrist, his voice a low growl. "Mia has nothing to do with the business. She's a ghost. She's nothing!"

"Nothing?" I laughed coldly, tears burning my eyes. "But the law calls her Mrs. Falcone! So what the hell does that make me? The Don's dirty little secret?"

"Are you crazy? Who would dare call you that?" Blair yanked me into his arms, crushing my struggles against his hard chest. His breath was hot on my neck. "The wedding is happening. The world will see you standing by my side. And our heir will come from you, Flora, and only you. You will be the true matriarch of this family. Anyone who disrespects you, I'll put a bullet in their head myself."

I fought against him, but he only held me tighter.

"Listen to me. Just calm down." Blair softened his tone, laying out what he thought was a generous offer. "I'll sign over the casinos on the three biggest ports to you. They'll be yours. Mia will never be in your life. She lives in the suburbs, you live in the manor. You'll never even have to see each other."

He laid out our future for me, a future for the three of us, with the tone of a king granting a favor.

What a perfect, selfish son of a bitch.

What shameless greed.

"You make me sick," I said, my voice flat as I stopped struggling.

"Flora!" Blair cupped my face, his eyes full of the deep love I knew so well. "You're the only one I love. From the moment you saved my life in that shootout six years ago, my heart has been yours. I'd give you anything—money, power, even my life!"

I looked at the face I had loved for six years, and it was terrifyingly unfamiliar.

He would give me everything.

Everything except his loyalty.

I finally understood how stupid I was, trying to talk about fidelity with a cold-blooded Don who thought he could have it all.

Seeing the dead look in my eyes, Blair must have thought I’d given in.

He let me go and pulled a velvet box from his coat pocket. Inside lay a massive ruby signet ring, the symbol of the Falcone family's matriarch. He placed it on the counter and gave me a long, meaningful look. "This belongs to you."