Mariano answered my call at the first ring.
"Bella?"
"Hey."
"Hey. I'm sorry. Am I forgiven?"
"Yes." I answered. I felt tears build up at the sound of his voice. I fucking hated that I could cry so easily. That I forgave him like this. "Am I?"
God, I was so easy. I felt pathetic. Just forgiving him like this. He was in the wrong here. I should have not made this so easy for him.
"Why are you apologising? You have done nothing wrong."
"I was too dramatic. I overreacted."
"It's okay, Bella."
I had planned to watch the intervention from upstairs. I was still wearing Mariano's shirt, watching as Jace Ivankshov and Mariano conversed in a language that definitely wasn't Italian.Emilio leaned against a wall, looking bored out of his mind.Jace Ivankshov didn't look like a mafioso at all. He was wearing a dark blue collared shirt with a minions pattern on it, light wash jeans, and yellow, yes, yellow, sneakers.I giggled silently at his appearance.But the look on his face as he waspishly argued with my boyfriend chilled me to the bone.I decided to go back, because nothing interesting seemed to be happening. They were just talking and I couldn't hear most of it. So I turned
I looked at Abra as she tilted her head at Mariano and grinned. "Hi, Mariano."If I grinned like that I'd look like a fucking hyena. She was really pretty, in that very conventional way. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Super skinny. I wasn't that skinny. I had a tummy, and flabby arms, and a little bit of what you might call thunder thighs. I know it is okay to not be skinny, and all bodies are beautiful, but I find it hard to implement on my own self. It is easy to follow body positivity for others, not so much for yourself.Abra didn't seem like someone who needed to tell herself her body was beautiful as it is. Mariano has dated so many girls that look just like her. Like Firia. Firia had been super beautiful and skinny too.A deeply unsettling feeling settled in my che
"Laaaandon!" I sang.He looked up from his notes and stared at me blankly. "Izz.""Do you wanna build a snowman?""No."I rolled my eyes at him. "Let's go get pizza.""Why don't you just order them?""I want to go out!" I whined. "Please!""I want to sleep, Izz." He sighed. I pouted at him, and he rolled his eyes, then stood up. "Come on. Let's get pizza."I faked crying, clutching my heart. "I love you, Landon."He pursed his lips, and dragged me to his motorbike, not saying any
There were certain things about Mariano that I didn't quite understand. I had thought I had him figured to the bone. There wasn't much to figure out, really. He was just a man who'd grown up seeing blood and gore, was a little dominating and possessive, and was an extremely passionate lover. But there were certain things that I couldn't figure out.Like his relationship with Abra.Or his relationship with Emilio.I wasn't the kind of girlfriend to prevent him from befriending other girls, but I just had such a bad feeling for Abra. I didn't like her at all.But I wouldn't say anything. I knew Mariano didn't like it when I hung out with Landon, or the fact that Aiden and I had seen each other naked a hundred times, even after growing u
I woke up in Mariano's arms. Things had changed between us after our date two days ago. I felt free. I felt more in love. I felt like I belonged with him.My body was sore from last night. He'd been more adventurous, more...demanding. I'd loved it."Good morning." He whispered in my ear. "How do you feel?""Sore." I confessed. "I'm aching all over.""Good." He said smugly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."I rolled my eyes. "Let me go, Mariano." I sang. "I have a morning class.""Can't you skip it?" He said lowly.I shook my head. He groaned. "Fine. Tell Tanner to bring you to th
After I was done crying, Aiden and I watched reruns of Game of Thrones on the TV. I lay on his lap, stuffing my face with popcorn. All the blood and gore put my mind off of what had happened. But then I started thinking about the blood that had been spilled when Mariano had shot that man, and I got sad again. Aiden changed the channel to watch football, and I sighed, stealing another look at my phone.There were 34 missed calls from Mariano, 117 texts, and a few voicemails. I quickly read the last string of messages he had sent.Isabelle?Its not what you think it is.Its only you. I'm yours.Talk to me.I think I deserve a chance to explain.Bella...I miss you already.I can't track your phone location. What's wrong? You're home, righ
I scrambled to get dressed, careful not to wake Landon up.I couldn't believe I'd done that. I'd slept with Landon. I'd fucked up our whole entire friendship. And if Mariano came to know...I couldn't even imagine that. He'd kill Landon. And he'd be so hurt. Ha. As if. He didn't think once before kissing another woman. God knows how many others he had at his beck and call.I just wanted to leave. I didn't want to meet anyone. I didn't want to look at anyone.As I hurried out of his dorm, judgemental stares made me cringe. Almost everyone knew that I was dating Mariano. They probably didn't know that he was a mafiosi, but his existence was pretty well known.My walk of shame to my apartment completed, I climbed into bed, and
"I slept with Landon."He stepped back. Away from me. "Oh."Now I was on my knees. We were both on our knees. I reached to touch his hand, but he flinched, pulling it back with a jerk. Like I burned him. Like my touch burned him. My eyes filled with tears suddenly. I blinked."I'm sorry." I whispered. I had nothing else to say. Nothing that could justify it. "I'm sorry, Mariano."He looked down at the floor, his head hanging low. He nodded.God, it hurt to see him like this. This was not the Mariano I knew. The Mariano I knew did not do this. He didn't treat me like this. And he did not look so defeated. So sad. So dejected."I'm sorry." I said again. I sounded like a broken record. But there was really nothing I could say, or do, that would make any of this better."I know, Isabelle." He said."Please, talk to me.""There is nothing to say." He looked up at me and smiled. His eyes wer
Mariano and I had been married for 5 years now. It had been pleasant. No scratch that, it had been absolutely lovely being married to Mariano Wolfe Lionelli Montefiore Rivera.We loved each other so much, so hard, we needed nothing else.It was around 10 am on a rainy Sunday morning. I was in bed, naked, just having woken up. Mariano had had a meeting early in the morning so he'd left, leaving me in bed alone. I was about to leave this soft haven when the door to our room opened and Mariano stepped in."Good morning,dolcezzaBella." He said."Morning." I said, then rolled over to stare at him. "You're up early. And you're all dressed up."He was wearing h
He proposed the very day he was discharged from the hospital. Naturally, I was shocked beyond words. We'd known each other for all of a few months. I'd told him it was too early. But he'd insisted, and said we didn't have to get married right away."I'll wait." He'd said. "I just want my ring on your finger."So I'd said yes.We'd waited five years, until I had graduated, and had had a job for a year,Working was tough - being a mafia girlfriend and all. And I had to wear a bracelet every day to hide the black rose tattoo on my wrist which signified my allegiance to the Italian mafia.I was Donna, and Mariano had insisted that I just stay at home because he made money that was more t
The doctor had told us that Mariano should stay in the hospital for atleast another week. He was fine, but they wanted to keep a check on him. Mariano was...a little against that idea. He wanted to go home. But in the end I did convince him to stay, and he begrudgingly accepted. He did get, a private room, though. Turns out the Riveras had actually financed a wing of the hospital, which was the reason they enjoyed so much prestige her. I had just thought it was a mafia thing.I was currently in Mariano's room just chilling around him when Emilio peeped in through the door."Hey!" He greeted me, and handed me a packet. "I got you a proscuitto sandwich."Yum."Thanks!" Mariano chimed in, "I'm really hungry."Emilio hesitated. "Its not for you. The nurse will get you your food,fratello."I giggled. Mariano had been begging me to get him food from the outside."Thanks, Emilio." I told him gratefully, and he left.I q
I cried in the shotgun seat as Emilio drove. Mariano was lying in the back. I'd taken off his suit jacket, and his white shirt was bloodied. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I stared straight ahead at the winding road."He'll be alright." Emilio promised."It's so near to his heart." I sobbed. "I love him so much. I can't live without him.""You won't have to. We have the best doctors."How could he be so normal about this?"Why didn't he wear a fucking bulletproof jacket?" I shouted.Emilio flinched. "He was in a hurry."I cried harder. He'd come to save me, and now he was passe
"Landon?"My heart sank. What the hell? What was sweet, sweet Landon who brought me pizza and brownies and made me laugh and watch Harry Potter with me doing here? The truth was hard to take in.I clenched my eyes shut, crying a lot more. Out of all the scenarios I had expected to play out, this had not been one of them. Of all the people in the world, it had to be him? I don't know what hurt more, my broken nose, or his betrayal."Hi, Izzy." He said.I shook my head hard. This was a dream. This had to be a dream. Landon wouldn't...But no matter how much I tried to lead myself astray from the truth, Landon had betrayed me. Landon was part of the Russian Mob.
I woke up in a car. My hands were tied behind my back, scotch tape on my mouth, andmy feet tied together in a way that was way too easy to untie by myself. I got out of the restraints but remained laying in the backseat as the two burly men sitting in the front talked in a language that definitely wasn't Italian.I pulled the tape off of my lips slowly, then waited for the pain to subside. I breathed deeply. This wasn't new territory for me. And I had been prepared for this situation. Mariano had told me not to worry if something like this happened. I just had to be brave and keep myself safe. He would always be righe behind me. He'd come save me, soon."Hey guys, the last time I woke up in a car I found the love of my life. Tell me, do you have hot men where you're taking me?"
Back in our room, Mariano began undressing, but I went straight to the bathroom with my night clothes in hand and changed.In the room, he was just in his sweats, and looked at me strangely, as I got into bed."Good night!" I told him cheerfully. He tipped his head to the side and stared. "Get out of bed."I shook my head, elaborately yawning. "I'm sleepy."He raised his eyebrows. "Now."With a smug look on my face, I went and stood in front of him.He wordlessly began unbuttoning my shirt, shrugging it off of me. I wasn't wearing a bra, and he smiled. "We're going to have some fun with you, today." With that, he gave me a little shove so I fell on the bed, and him on top of me.He always kissed me with so much passion it took my entire breath away. I had been kissed by him so many times now, but it always took my breath away. It made me fall onto the floor at his feet and worship him. It made me want to write
"Bella!" Someone was shaking me. "Bella, wake up!"I shook their hand away. "Go away, I'm tired."They sighed, "Bella, up."Ugh. I slowly cracked open my eyes. Mariano. "What do you want?""Wake up, its time for dinner. You've been sleeping for three hours."Damn.I shifted in the bed to make room for him. "Okay, ten minutes," Then I spread my arms, "Cuddles?"He sighed, and got into bed with me, snuggling close, with one hand wrapped around me and the other absently playing with my breast. He placed a small kiss on my forehead. "I'm sorry about my father. He was being an asshole.""It's okay." I assured him. "I can't expect your family to welcome me with open arms.""Your family did.""My family is also not the biggest crime family in the world."He chuckled. "I am very lucky to have you, Bella.""And I am lucky to have you." I smiled.We lay in bed for a while, but then he threw
For Christmas, Mariano got a star christened Bella. And he also got me a super beautiful charm bracelet. I'd only gotten him a cute T shirt and made him a cutesy card. My gift, was well, pretty rudimentary. But also because I'm poor, unlike him.But he'd put on the T shirt the next day, and smiled like a giggly teenager for hours after reading the card. Then he'd kissed me in front of my whole family, and Dad had turned away, rolling his eyes.It had been the best Christmas I had ever had.Before flying to Italy, Mariano and I decided to take a stroll through town so that I could show him my school and the places I used to hang out at with my friends.We met a lot of acquantainces, and I introduced him to everyone. But I mistook the s