Chapter Twelve_ It wasn't so bad

Valentina

"Valentina, I said I'm alright." Matteo groaned for the umpteenth time that morning.

The hours after finding Matteo bruised and bloodied passed in a blur. Despite his insistence that it was "nothing," his wounds told me a different story.

I'd stayed up all night watching over him, tending to his injuries as best as I could, all while he stubbornly refused to explain how he ended up in this state.

Was this what I had to contend with with too?

As the first light of dawn filtered through the heavy curtains of my bedroom, l lay awake beside him, my mind racing.

His apology - if one can even call it that - still echoed in my ears. It was the first time he had shown me any real vulnerability, and I didn't know what to make of it.

Matteo Nevarro, the ruthless mafia Don who had an entire empire under his fingers, was sorry. Sorry for what?

For getting married to me despite the fact that he was in love with my sister? For keeping me at arm's length? For not helping me find my sister