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“Well, yes. In four months, this will be over, and things will go back to normal.”
“I would be inclined to believe you if the man you fake-married was anyone other than Nico.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I mutter.
“You know, sorella, I love you, but you have a tendency to get delusional when it comes to things like this. Let’s assess the situation, okay?” she starts. “Number one, Nico isn’t just some stranger you met on the street. He’s a man you grew up with, the first man you ever really had feelings for, and the only one who’s ever successfully broken your heart.”
I grit my teeth. “That’s beside the point.”
“Number two,” my sister continues, ignoring me, “he’s also apparently the Don of an organization filled with men who consider their women to be their possessions. I know Nico’s not like that, but there’s no denying how protective he gets over what he considers to be his. Ergo, you, in this situation.”
“I’m not his,” I protest, even though he’s said so himself to me. Multiple times.
My heart starts to race in my chest.
“And finally, number three, you two got married in front of every single member of the Cosa Nostra. All the people of consequence in the outfit watched the two of you tie the knot, in a church of all places. Do you really think letting them see all that, that their supposed leader is going to turn around in four months and be like, ‘oh about my marriage, it was actually fake and not legally binding, oops’. Come on, Rory, there’s no way in hell that’s going to happen. You just got played. Nico set a trap, and you fell right into it. He was never going to let you go.”
My mind whirs as I consider everything my sister has just said. Because she might actually be right, and I’ve been too stupid to see what was happening right in front of me. Nico walks into the house then, and my eyes meet his immediately. He comes to a stop once he takes in the look on my face.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I take in a few calming breaths as I think of what to say to him.
“Give him the phone. I want to speak to him,” Lucia suddenly says in my ear.
It’s a testament to the torrent of emotions running through me that I don’t argue or refuse. After expelling a harsh breath, I thrust the phone toward Nico before taking a seat on the couch.
He shoots me one last confused look, before placing the phone on his ear.
“Hey, Luce.”
CHAPTER 18
NICO
Most people think falling in love is about holding on and never letting go, but it isn’t. It’s about hands gripping the edge of the world and letting go one finger at a time. And if you’re lucky, when there are no more fingers left, the eventual fall leads you right back where you started—right where you belong.
But if you’re not, you might end up tumbling into the abyss instead. Alone. I’ve spent most of my life alone, and my only respite was those years I spent with Aurora. It took me too long to realize she was always going to be the missing part of my soul. And when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I knew I had to get her back. I also knew that I needed to be smart about it.
“Nico, you asshole!” Lucia yells in my ear. “How could you manipulate her into marrying you?”
The corners of my lips tug up at the sound of her voice. I haven’t heard it in so long. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t kept in touch over the past decade. Lucia and I text once in a while behind her sister’s back. Aurora would kill us if she knew that. Unlike her sister, Lucia actually thinks fondly of me. Or at least she did.
After one last look at Aurora, whose eyes are shut as she lies on the couch, I walk away, heading up the stairs.
“I didn’t manipulate her,” I say once out of earshot. “I merely coerced her into a deal that may or may not be beneficial to both of us.”
Lucia groans. “You’re such a snake. How long have you been planning this?”
That’s a loaded question. For months after they disappeared, all I could feel was betrayal and anger that she would leave me like that. And then, I gravitated toward acceptance and understanding. I thought I could let things go, and for a while, I did. But I couldn’t stop thinking about her. It didn’t take me too long before I found them again. And then from there, I decided to bide my time and wait for an opening to get to her again.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“This is a bad idea, and it’ll blow up in your face. You and I both know that if you push her too hard, she’ll push back.”
“I know, which is why I’m going down this route and trying to ease her into things.”
It’s not like I showed up in front of her apartment and confessed my undying love to her or anything like that. That would have made her run for the hills without a doubt. Instead, I convinced her to marry me, at least for four months, during which time I could strive to convince her that the connection we both have, never disappeared. While also getting her to face everything that happened ten years ago.
