Semua Bab Mafia Bride: From Pawn to Rebel Queen : Bab 1 - Bab 6

The holy water stung my fingertips.I dipped them again, crossing myself as Father Enzo's voice dripped into the cathedral: *"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti..."* The Latin washed over me like a falling wave, forcing me under with the weight of all I had lost.Papa's casket gleamed in the light of the stained-glass windows. Mahogany. Gold handles. Nothing but the best for Vincent Romano, even in death. Even when we couldn't afford it.*Especially* when we couldn't afford it.That black dress sat on my body like a second skin; the fabric felt heavy beneath the gaze burning into my back. The people who mattered in Palermo were all here, families whose names appeared in newspapers-all the time, always on the obit page, never on the business page. Men whom politicians shook hands with one moment and buried an enemy the next. "Elena," Alessandro's hands found her elbow, his voice hoarse from maybe cigarettes or grief-it was hard to tell the difference now-edged, "You're sha

*Marriage.*The word hung in the air between us like a gun waiting to go off.I must have misheard him. Must have misheard him. Because Luca Valenti—heir to the most powerful crime family in Sicily—did not propose to Romano girls in rose gardens when their fathers were barely cold in the ground."I'm sorry, what?""You heard me." He leaned against the garden gate, casual as if we were discussing the weather. "One wedding. Problem solved."My laughter was a strangled, hysterical sound. "You can't be serious.""I'm always serious about business, Miss Romano. And this is business."*Business.* Not love. Not even desire. Just a transaction, like buying groceries or paying bills."You're crazy if you think—""Your brother owes the Benedettos money. Fifty thousand." He spoke in a casual, affable tone. As though reciting a shopping list. "Your mother's hospital bills are owed to three hospitals. The mortgage on your house is six months in arrears."Each amount was a stab in my side. How did

The sound splits through my skull like an axe.*BANG. BANG. BANG.*I jolt awake, heart hammering against my ribs. Sunlight streams through unfamiliar windows, too bright, too harsh. For a split second I forget where I am—then it all comes crashing back.The wedding. The villa. Luca's parting words echoing in my ears.*This marriage isn't an alliance. It's your punishment.*The pounding on the door gets louder."Get up." Luca's voice cuts through the wood like a blade. "Now."I'm still wearing yesterday's makeup, mascara probably streaked down my cheeks like war paint. The wedding dress lies crumpled on the floor where I finally managed to tear it off at three in the morning. I'm in nothing but a silk slip that suddenly feels thinner than paper."I said now, Elena."My name on his tongue sounds like a curse.I grab a robe from the chair—cream cashmere that probably costs more than most people's rent—and wrap it around myself like armor. My hands shake as I tie the belt.The door flies