EROS I shouldn’t have been angry. It was my brother, after all. Yet Arabella’s words repeated every damn time I looked at Ella. “You’re standing in the same room as Adonis Vitale, the man you love.” Ella loved him. How could I ever compete with that? There were only a few people on this planet who
What I was feeling was insecurity at its worst. I had always known that anyone, absolutely everyone, would choose Adonis over me because he was the better one of us. He was wiser, dumb most of the time, but always righteous—at least as much as he could be, given his role in our line of work. Adonis
EROS I didn’t care about Adonis finding the contract because all I could think about was the look Mariella had on her face. The look of utter shock and complete pain. I was a bastard for making her feel that way. But I was a fucking mess. “It’s a contract,” I said, my voice harsh, “stating that ou
Adonis was a smart man. He had to know that Ella had feelings for him. Yet he had reduced their distance. “Don’t tell me you’re a fool to not notice that?” I asked. “Or were you just enjoying? Seeing how far this could go?” “I’m your brother, Eros. You know me better than anyone. Do you really thi
“What?” She jerked my hands away and stepped aside. Licking her lips, she questioned, “Do you really expect me to sit tight after everything you just said to me?” My chest heaved as I breathed in and out, the only fear I had clutching my heart. I didn’t want to lose her. I couldn’t lose the last pe
MARIELLA “Thank you for letting me stay the night, Niana,” I said as Niana appeared in the living room, wiping her wet hands on her apron. “I know it was a lot of trouble.” She shook her head, taking a seat beside me on the couch. “It was sudden but not a trouble. You can stay here for as long as
“Did he seem reluctant to have the baby?” “That I do not know. We can, though, if some news pops up from ‘Ndrangheta.” Solano didn’t seem to approve of Rosaline’s decision, and why would he? No one in Cosa Nostra would ever agree with Rosaline, which meant if she had left, she could never return.
The things we did in the name of duty, they left us completely shattered, having to choose it over what we truly wanted. “She will never forgive me,” he repeated under his breath as I walked toward him. “She will. Just give her some time.” I patted on his shoulder and sat on the couch beside him.
I walked toward Ella’s bed and sat down beside her. She pulled herself up with much difficulty and looked down at our daughter. “She’s so small,” I said, my eyes filling with tears. The wait, the pain and everything were worth this—this joy and the deep love I felt in my heart. I met Ella’s gaze a
[FOUR YEARS LATER] EROS I was panicking more than Ella was. But I couldn’t take her screams, let alone look at her. She was covered in sweat from head to toe and her entire body was shuddering. This was partially my fault, I could say. She buried her head back on the pillow and let out another lo
Even in my absence, I had been sure that Mariella was okay. She was upset, which was understandable, but she was safe. Adonis had ensured it. I hurried into my wing and up to my room, unable to control the burdening feeling in my chest. I needed to let out all that I had been holding inside, to tel
Both Mom and Adonis scanned the room. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Ella was running away. Or perhaps hiding something from me. I sincerely wished it was the prior. Adonis took a deep breath and spoke. “Ma, I need to speak to Eros.” I was dumbfounded. I widened my
EROS With all the men guarding me, I felt like a child being carried to the principal’s office. Every fucking one of them had a brooding look on their face. And I had been seeing them every day for the past two months. No more. I was finally returning home. To my family. To my wife. I wondered ho
As I pushed the door, I noticed the girl sitting on the ground, holding a grey shirt to her chest. Eros’s shirt. Had she been holding onto him in this manner? Crying herself to sleep holding that one shirt? Consoling herself that he was alright? “Mariella?” Her eyes widened and snapped toward me.
ADONIS I couldn’t stand the sight of people who pretended as though my world hadn’t completely changed. Many people greeted me as I walked out to the main wing. Danilo, his wife and younger daughter. Terenzio and Fabiola. Niana Galasso and the idiot who got Danilo’s daughter pregnant. My wife and
“My sister has a habit of meddling in other people’s matters. I’m sorry for that.” She probably didn’t know who I was, either. Her expressions suddenly fell, and she said with an apologetic look on her face, “I’m sorry if I sound rude, but my coming here wasn’t really a coincidence.” I frowned. “I h
Eros leaned down and whispered something into his niece’s ears that made Alessia smile bigger. Letting go of his hands, she motioned toward her father. Eros, the matchmaker, was back in the room. He wanted nothing more than what I did and that was to see this little family of ours be happy and one