All Chapters of After I Could Hear the Don's Thoughts: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Now Richard was down on one knee, choosing my wedding shoes for me himself.His fingers traced lazy circles over my ankle.[Elise's calves are still a little thick, and it makes her ankles look heavy too.]I froze. I thought I’d imagined it, and then he went on.[Charlotte's legs are so much better. Long, straight, that soft pale skin. I could touch them forever and never get bored.]My whole body went tight on instinct, and the scene from my past life, the moment I caught them, rose up in front of my eyes again.My trip had ended early. I came back to the Marlowe estate and heard the kind of laughter coming from the study that no one should ever hear.Through the gap in the door, I saw Charlotte wearing nothing but a pair of black stockings, perched on the huge black-walnut desk.Richard had her leg in his hands and was kissing his way up from her toes, slow.My stomach turned, and I clenched my jaw shut."Elise? What's wrong?"Richard had noticed something was off. He patted the top

Richard's fists clenched hard.He shut his eyes in pain, and I couldn't help going back to five years ago.Richard's father was the former Don of the Marlowe family, Vincent Marlowe.He had a lot of enemies, and he was careful every time he went out.The night it happened, he had gone to the club where Charlotte worked as a bartender.At Richard's request, he gave Charlotte a ride home on his way out.What Vincent didn't know was that Charlotte, for a hundred-dollar tip, had let slip that he would be driving her home.His enemies set the ambush perfectly, and he took seven bullets.Charlotte spent the whole thing screaming with her arms over her head, and never thought to call for help.By the time Richard and I got there, Vincent had already bled out.Charlotte threw herself into Richard's arms. "It was horrible, they shot at me, it was so horrible."Start to finish, she never said one word about Vincent.Richard pushed her off, dropped to his knees beside Vincent, and coughed up a mo

"Of course. I'd never let myself off either."Richard raised his glass high and announced it to the room.In a well-cut suit, he was handsome as a Greek statue.He smiled without a sound, looking quietly pleased with himself.The musicians struck up a mandolin, and the guests sang old Sicilian love songs and stamped their feet.When the song ended, the applause went on and on.If I couldn't hear Richard's thoughts, I really would have believed this was a happy wedding.Then the doors of the hall swung open.Charlotte appeared in front of everyone like an exclamation point.She wore a white couture gown, the long train dragging the floor, a bouquet cradled in her hands.She looked more like the bride than I did.The guests murmured, their eyes moving back and forth between us.She walked straight to Richard, leaned to his ear, and said something.Richard stepped back, all disgust, and waved at the guards across the room."You're not welcome here. Where's security? I gave specific orders

Charlotte was hiding in the bathroom, naked.A towel someone had grabbed was thrown over her, and she stared at the crowd, screaming without stop.She sounded like a cheap squeaky chicken toy.Eileen rubbed her eyes like she couldn't believe them, then erupted."Charlotte? You're sleeping with her? Did you forget who got your father killed?"Richard had collapsed to the floor, great beads of sweat rolling off his forehead."I'll only say this once. Shut up."My father gave Charlotte a cold glance, then turned his eyes to Richard."Don Marlowe, you owe me an explanation." He paused, a grim smile showing. "I'd like it to be a reasonable one.""I know it's hard to explain, but it isn't what it looks like. It's her. She set me up!"Richard shuffled forward on his knees and grabbed the hem of my dress."She burst in and started taking her clothes off. I didn't lay a finger on her!""Elise, I swear, I never betrayed you! You have to believe me!"[I have to stick to the story that Charlotte t

Richard seemed like a different man.He had lost a lot of weight, and the suit that used to fit him hung loose now.The biggest change was in his eyes.What kind of eyes were those: cold, glazed, as ghastly as the vacant stare of a slaughtered sheep.He stared at Leon's hand where it had touched my hair, the muscles of his face twitching beyond his control."Take your filthy hand off her."Leon frowned and finished tucking the strand into place.He stepped forward and put himself in front of me, like a knight guarding a princess.His muscles drew tight, the lines of them showing through his fitted shirt."Richard Marlowe. Watch your tone."Richard's breathing was heavy as a broken bellows."You dare talk to me like that? I'm Don Marlowe!""I'll give you three seconds. Step away from my wife. Step away from Elise."I leaned out from behind Leon. "I'm not your wife."Leon smiled and shrugged. "You heard her."Richard lunged like a man gone mad, his right fist driving straight at Leon's f