All Chapters of A Sin Called Love: My Father’s Debt, Mafia King’s Bride: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Eva's POVMy father gambled me away at that table?I stared at the velvet-roped booth. Green felt, leather chairs, a rack of chips against the wall. It looked ordinary. Thousands of dollars probably crossed that surface every night.Every time Mateo let me see something almost human in him, he followed it with something that reminded me exactly what he was.Before I could even begin to feel grief or anger over my father’s sins, Mateo’s hands closed around my waist. In one smooth motion, he lifted me onto the edge of a gambling table and laid me back against the felt. Chips clattered and scattered around me."What are you — "He leaned over me, both palms flat on the table on either side of my hips. Then he picked up a chip and turned it between his fingers. "Want to win yourself back, little bride?"My breath caught.It was a trap. I knew it was a trap. Everything about this man was a trap: his smile, his patience, his hands that could kill and comfort in the same hour.But the word f

Eva's POVThe next morning I knelt by the window with my eyes closed and my cross pressed between my palms.Lord, forgive me. I should have pushed him away. I should have fought harder. But when his hand touched my skin, I leaned into it. My body moved toward him on its own, like it had forgotten every prayer I'd ever said.I was still kneeling when the bedroom door opened.I flinched and scrambled to my feet. Mateo stood in the doorway in a fresh black suit, no blood this time. He looked like he'd slept well. I hadn't slept at all.“Get dressed.” His gaze swept over what I was wearing, a faint crease appearing between his brows. He tossed a garment bag onto the bed. “We’re going out.”Did he not like what he saw?"Where?""Dinner. Later." He checked his watch. "First, you need new clothes."Yes, he did.I wanted to argue. But the silk nightgown I was still wearing belonged to him, and the wedding dress was destroyed, and I had nothing. Not even shoes.The black SUVs parked in a line

Eva's POVDaniel spoke quickly, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds."There's a boat waiting at the rear deck. Small, fast. My partner is driving it. The guards are lighter tonight — being on the water makes them sloppy." He squeezed my arm. "Midnight, Eva. Meet me at the back of the yacht. I'll get you out."My heart was pounding. A way out. An actual way out."How did you even get on this yacht?""I'm a cop now." He said it quietly, but there was pride in his voice. "I heard about your situation from your father. I've been tracking Accardi's movements for weeks."A cop. The boy who used to share cookies with me was now a police officer. That explained how he knew all of this."Eva — do you have anything? Documents, recordings, evidence of his crimes? Anything at all?" Daniel's eyes were sharp. Urgent.I took a small step back. Something in my stomach felt wrong."What?""Evidence. If I can bring something back — " Daniel noticed. His expression softened. "I'm trying to help

Eva's POVMateo walked into the light. Hours ago he'd given me a birthday cake. Now I would face his judgment.He sat back in a deck chair and crossed one leg over the other.Enzo fell into step beside Mateo, spine straight, chin lifted, the picture of loyalty. He spoke low and fast, recounting every detail.The boat.The timing.The adulterer.The coat he'd left me was too big. I was still on my knees, and the wind had opened the front, and I could see the hem of my nightdress underneath, pale silk stained with rust from the deck grating.I tried to protest, but a hand clamped over my mouth and shoved me down against the deck. I strained to look up at Mateo, searching his face for a reaction. But found nothing.Then Enzo leaned closer and dropped his voice to a stage whisper that everyone could hear."He's a cop, Don."The deck went cold. The men holding me shifted their grip. Harder now. Someone behind me thumbed the safety off his pistol. The click was small and precise.A moment a

Mateo's POVShe weighed almost nothing.I carried her back to the cabin with her face pressed into my shoulder, her fingers gripping the lapel of my jacket like it was the only solid thing left in the world. She wasn't crying anymore, but the silence was worse.I knew what was happening inside that head of hers. She'd held onto Daniel the way she held onto everything from her old life: the church, the prayers, the belief that somewhere out there, good people existed and would come for her. A childhood friend turned cop. The answer to a prayer.I pushed the cabin door shut with my heel. The lock clicked.Except the prayer was a lie. The friend was a fraud. The father who'd raised her on sermons about virtue had sold her virginity to cover a gambling debt. Every pillar she'd ever leaned on had rotted from the inside.Poor girl.I set her down on the edge of the bed. The scrapes on her palms were still bleeding. I crouched in front of her and took her left hand, turning it over."This