All Chapters of MARRIED TO THE MAFIA: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

LucaShe looked me dead in the eye, and I knew before she even opened her mouth that the answer was going to hurt.“I came back,” she said softly, “because I heard about the accident.”The world seemed to narrow to a single pinpoint of sound her voice, weaving itself into all the old cracks in my chest.“I saw the photographs,” she whispered. “I heard you’d nearly died. And I…I couldn’t stand the thought that if you left this world, the last thing you ever believed about me was that I didn’t love you.”My throat worked, but no words came out.She kept going, her eyes shimmering. “I thought I had more time. I thought someday someday when it was safe I could come back and explain. But the accident… It made me realize there’s no such thing as the right time. There’s only now.”“You risked everything,” I said, my voice low, “to have your family back.”She nodded, a tear sliding down her cheek. “Yes.”A strange pressure bloomed behind my breastbone. Guilt. Anger. Some terrible, fragile thin

Lila. By the time the car pulled up in front of the house, I had rehearsed every version of a smile I thought I might need.A smile for Alex, so he wouldn’t worry.A smile for Anna, so she’d feel welcome in a place that was still half-strange.A smile for Luca though I doubted he’d look at me long enough to notice it.I practiced them all as I climbed the steps, my hand shaking when I reached for the door.Inside, the air was hushed and heavy. The entire house seemed suspended in a kind of uneasy truce since Richard’s arrival no one quite sure if he was staying or going, no one daring to be the first to break the silence.I slipped inside quietly, closing the door behind me. My coat felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, but I forced my shoulders back and lifted my chin.Hold it together, I told myself. You can fall apart later.I made it to the hallway before Anna appeared. She looked exhausted, her hair pulled back in a loose knot, her eyes red from crying.“Lila,” she said, her voi

Lila. By the time the car pulled up in front of the house, I was shaking so badly I could barely get the door open.The driver tried to help me out, but I waved him off, forcing my legs to carry me up the steps one at a time. My palms were damp. My heart was still thrashing in my chest like a cornered bird.I couldn’t get his hand out of my mind. The way he’d looked at me, like he was entitled to something I hadn’t offered.I pressed a trembling hand to my throat.I knew I should tell someone. I should at least say something. But I couldn’t even bring myself to form the words in my own head, let alone speak them aloud.When I stepped inside, the hush of the entryway closed around me like a shroud. For a moment, I just stood there, staring into the dimly lit hall.No one noticed I was gone.No one noticed I was back.I didn’t know whether that made it easier or harder.I forced myself to move. My feet felt heavy, like they belonged to someone else. I set my purse on the side table, car

LilaI don’t know how long I stayed there in his arms.Long enough for my tears to soak through his shirt. Long enough that the violent shaking in my chest finally began to ease.His hand was warm and steady against my spine. Every time I tried to pull away, he held me a little tighter, as if he was afraid I’d vanish altogether.When the silence finally settled, it wasn’t the brittle, cold quiet that usually hung between us. It felt different. Like the air itself had softened.I turned my face against his shoulder, breathing in the clean scent of him something like cedar and expensive soap and felt the ache in my chest give way to something almost peaceful.“Luca,” I whispered.His thumb traced a slow, absent circle at the base of my neck. “Hmm?”I pulled back enough to look at him. His eyes were darker than I’d ever seen them, shadowed and searching.“I’m sorry,” I murmured.His brow furrowed. “For what?”L“For falling apart,” I said, heat rushing to my cheeks. “For…for making everyt

LilaThe first rays of dawn were just beginning to creep through the curtains when I woke, disoriented and warm.For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.Then I felt the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. His hand still resting against the small of my back, heavy even in sleep.Luca.He was peacefully sleeping next to me, fully clothed. I quickly lifted the covers and realized I was still fully clothed too which was a good thing. The memory of last night flooded back in a rush my sobs, the way he’d held me like I was something precious, the soft press of his mouth against mine.I should have felt embarrassed. Exposed.Instead, all I felt wasj the quiet ache of knowing it couldn’t last.I shifted carefully, trying not to wake him, but the movement stirred him anyway. His breathing changed, and his hand slid up to my shoulder, holding me in place.“Don’t move,” he murmured, his voice rough from sleep.I went still, my heart tripping over itself.“I need to tell you some