Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“I didn’t get the chance to talk to her alone. But she’s…” I blew out a breath, not sure what to say.
Mom nodded. “And you?” The compassion in her eyes annoyed me. I wasn’t the victim here.
“I’m doing whatever’s necessary to make up for my sin.”
“Max—”
I raised my palm. “Don’t. You’re my mother. You’d find an excuse for every crime that I’d commit.”
“No, I would not,” she seethed, her eyes flashing with anger. “But you and Sara were both victims in this.”
I got up, frustrated. “I’m not the victim. I wasn’t hurt.”
“Yes, you were! You were forced to do something sexual you didn’t want to do. You’re a victim.”
Was she blind to the fucking truth? “I’m not a fucking victim, so stop calling me one. I’m a fucking rapist.”
Mom blanched. “You’re not! That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, and you’re not stupid, Maximus, so stop saying it. I’m sure if you talk to Sara, you’ll see that she doesn’t see you that way.”
“She can’t even look at me.”
“That doesn’t mean she blames you. She has a lot to deal with.”
“I don’t want to discuss this anymore. I’m marrying her in six weeks, so that’s what I need to focus on.”
I hadn’t slept all night. My life had taken a drastic U-turn in the past few weeks. Suddenly, I was engaged, soon to be married and a father. Fuck, I still lived at home. My parents’ house was big enough, and that way, I’d always been able to help with the shelter. Now that I was going to marry, I needed my own place—I needed a place for a family. I knew of a few Famiglia-owned apartments on the market, but I’d always dreamed about living in a house outside of the city like my parents did.
What did Sara want? I hardly knew anything about her. If we’d been promised in the usual fashion, I would have asked her what she wanted, but talking to her wasn’t as easy as that.
But I needed to act quickly. The wedding was soon. That didn’t leave much time for my house hunt.
When I came down to the kitchen, Mom, Dad, and Primo were gathered around the table. “War council?” I asked sarcastically. One look at their faces told me they’d been talking about me.
“You’re jumping in for the discarded groom, hmm?” Primo asked.
“Not your problem.” He meant well. For some reason, he seemed to think he needed to protect me. I wasn’t the victim here. “It’s the best solution for a very shitty situation.”
Primo shrugged. “I’m sure it’s meant to keep the waves of gossip down, but a move like that will create a tsunami.”
“We’ll deal with it,” Dad said firmly.
Mom motioned to the breakfast casserole on the table. “Soon, things will calm down.”
“I need to find a place for Sara and me…and the baby once it’s born.”
Mom nodded solemnly. “I know. Have you talked to Sara about it?”
“Not yet. There wasn’t much time last night.” I wondered how to approach the matter. I dreaded how awkward things would be between us once we lived together. I’d give Sara as much room as she needed, but we’d still live under the same roof. People would gossip even worse if we didn’t. I didn’t really give a damn about anyone’s opinion, but Sara obviously did.
“I should buy her a ring. She can’t wear her old engagement ring anymore,” I said.
“Do you want me to help you pick one?” Mom asked, her face alight with hope. She’d probably hoped she could help me organize my wedding, but Paolo’s mother and Liliana had already done so.
“I don’t know what Sara likes. Do you?”
Mom bit her lip. “I can ask Gianna. She knows her better than me. That okay for you?”
“You think Gianna knows about this already?” Primo asked doubtfully.
“Romero didn’t make this decision without discussing it with Luca, and if Luca knows, Aria knows, and then Gianna knows,” Mom said with an amused look.
Dad gave a silent nod. “Your mom has great taste. Let her help you.”
“I know, and I will,” I said, more to make Mom happy.
Mom immediately called Gianna, who suggested we take Isabella with us.
I wasn’t sure how close Isabella and Sara were. Were they best friends? I always thought Valerio, Flavio, and Isabella were close, which didn’t really make me feel more at ease. Flavio had probably shared his dislike of me with his friends. I’d never had a problem with people disliking me. Many of the things I did on a daily basis made me unlikable, but the reason for Flavio’s dislike wasn’t something I was proud of.
Mom and I picked up Isabella at their apartment building in the early afternoon. Isabella gave me a brief smile before she climbed into the back seat. It had seemed honest. We headed toward the jeweler that Isabella suggested. Apparently, it was the jeweler Aria, Gianna, and Liliana got their jewelry from, which meant I’d have to use a huge chunk of the money I’d intended to use for buying a house. I earned good money as an Enforcer, especially if I did the occasional contract killing, but I’d enjoyed life as a single person without too much thought of the future. If I’d known I’d marry this soon, I would have put more money aside.