Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
She thought about her mother, Carla, who had taught her to ride a bike up and down that street. They had spent two days, one summer. She had first attempted to learn at the park, but the uneven ground kept hindering her, and she fell so many times. Carla wouldn’t allow her to give up. Each time she fell, her mother was there to pick her up and tell her it would be okay. Would it be okay now? She thought about her mother baking cookies for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, or even when she achieved something at school. Her mother was always there for her.
Until now.
Adele took another deep breath and then placed a hand against her chest. It started to feel incredibly tight. She felt tears well up, but she refused to cry. Now was not the time to cry. Not in front of Enzo. Licking her dry lips, she stayed focused on the road ahead.
“You’ve just got to keep living, baby. No matter what. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, and I wish I was going to be there to see it, but I’m not, so you’ve got to live it for both of us. Remember, I will always be there for you. Always.”
“Where would you like to eat?” Enzo asked.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Adele, you’ve got to eat.”
She turned toward him and shook her head. “I’m not hungry.” The truth was, she just wanted to go home and curl up on the sofa.
****
Adele was different.
From the moment he placed her suitcase in the trunk of the car, he knew there was something upsetting her, but he didn’t quite know what it was. He had no choice but to leave her at his penthouse apartment, while he went and took care of some business.
While dealing with business, he had a couple of fashion boutiques deliver several evening gowns. He expected to keep Adele busy, trying to choose a dress for their engagement party. Most women loved to shop, or at least that had been his experience of women. When he returned home, he found Adele on the sofa.
All the clothes had been set up on rails for her to look through, but from what he could see, she hadn’t looked. When he asked her what she wanted, she told him to choose. He chose a dark red number, and she tried it on.
Now, as he stood at the hotel where he’d made the arrangements for this dinner party, with guests arriving and Adele on his arm, he realized what it was that had changed. There was no fire. Adele had accepted the dress, tried it on without fighting him. He loved the dress as it had molded to every curve just as he knew it would. She wore it now.
He sent hairdressers and makeup artists to get her ready. Enzo had also arranged for a whole new wardrobe. Again, she hadn’t fought him.
His wife had to uphold a certain image, and even though he had no problem with Adele, he knew after tonight the vultures would circle. Announcing his upcoming wedding had created a bit of stir within his circle. Many of the capos wanted to come and meet the woman he was taking as his bride.
He’d also lied to Adele. Her father and his family were due to arrive any minute. Enzo had called Hank and advised that he not attend, to which Hank had stated that if he didn’t attend, it would raise suspicion. There was already a lot of suspicion about her identity. People were curious about why he’d chosen a nobody, a civilian.
Adele kept smiling, shaking hands, accepting congratulations, but he sensed her tension. Where was the snarky woman who refused to marry him? Had she given up already? He didn’t like that. Enzo didn’t want to break her.
Looking toward the door, he caught sight of Hank and his wife entering the building. He couldn’t help but tense up and as he did, he glanced down to see Adele looking at him with a frown. Her gaze moved to the door, and he felt her tense. Her head spun toward him so fast, he thought she might get whiplash.
“You said he wasn’t supposed to be here,” Adele said.
“He had no choice but to come and offer his congratulations.” He gripped the back of her neck, pulling her in close so that he could whisper the words against her ear, giving them some semblance of privacy. It was all an illusion. They had no privacy. He sensed everyone circling, ready to pounce.
And you agreed to allow them to see her.
None of them could even be prepared for Adele, but he didn’t understand why she was being so passive.
“Can you stop them?” Adele asked.
“No.” He took hold of her hand, but she tried to pull away from him. Adele was no match for his strength and he was able to keep hold of her. “Stop.”