“Want to make sure I don’t do anything else to make your deal fall through? Don’t worry. I’m going to marry Rafaele,” I say dryly.
He swallows audibly. “Gem, I should have been open with you about the—”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
He doesn’t listen and keeps going. “I didn’t think you’d mind. You never seemed like you wished for more than this. At least not like the rest of us did.”
Outrage unfurls inside my chest. How dare he? “Just because I wasn’t breaking into Papà’s bank account like you or doing outrageous shit like Cleo, you assumed you could take control of my life and do whatever you wanted with it? Did you really think I’d be happy being a pawn on your chessboard?”
“No, that’s not—”
“Should I thank you for making all these choices for me?” I pin him with my gaze. Whatever he sees inside of it makes him pale.
“Maybe you’re right,” I say coldly. “What more could I possibly want?”
“I’m just saying—”
“Honestly, I don’t care what you have to say at this point. I’m tired. It’s been a long journey. You’re getting everything you want, so maybe you can be kind enough to give me just one thing in return.”
“What?” he asks.
“Silence. I don’t want to talk to you.”
There’s remorse in his gaze, but I don’t care. It does nothing to soften my feelings toward him.
“Okay,” he says quietly.
I turn to the window, the backs of my eyes starting to prickle.
We pull into the driveway, and I hop out of the car as soon as it stops. Vince doesn’t follow me.
Inside, the house is cold and empty. My skin still tingles with the memory of Greek sun. In a few weeks, my tan will fade. It will be like I was never there.
There are people waiting for me, house staff and a handful of made men. I barely acknowledge them. They’re here to guard me. It’s so obvious that there’s no point in pretending that’s not the case.
Mamma and Cleo aren’t here. I ask about them, and I’m told they’re visiting Papà and will be back soon.
I go up to my room, wash up in the bathroom, and then fold myself into the small window seat, pulling a blanket over my lap.
The stitches around my heart start to tear.
The fantasy Ras and I created was far better than reality. It was perfect.
And now it’s gone forever.
Tears rise in my eyes, and before long, they’re spilling down my cheeks. I move to the bed, press my face into the pillow, and cry until I pass out.
A sound wakes me. I sit up, my head groggy from the jet lag, and glance around the room. The door opens.
Cleo.
My chest swells at seeing my sister. She rushes over and throws herself at me, her arms looping around my waist.
I hug her back, letting the warmth of her embrace seep into my bones. It feels like it’s been forever since I last saw her, even if it’s only been a bit more than a week.
“You shouldn’t have come back to this mess,” she says, pressing her face against my chest bone.
Sighing, I run my palm over her curls. “I had to.”
“Don’t tell me you did it for Papà.” She lets go of me and maneuvers herself to sit cross-legged by my side. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s exactly where he belongs.”
“No, I didn’t do it for Papà,” I say quietly.
Cleo frowns. “You look sad. What happened while you were gone, Gem? Tell me everything.”
There’s one thing I have to do first. “Do you have your phone with you? I’ve been trying to call Vale.” I want to make sure Ras has returned safely and that Damiano isn’t putting any blame on him.
Cleo shakes her head. “I don’t have my phone anymore. Mamma took it from me this morning. She knows I’d give it to you if you asked, and they’re keeping you under lock and key until you’ve got a wedding band on your finger. By the way, I have your engagement ring. You left it on the counter in the penthouse the night we stayed there.”
Damn it. I won’t be able to call Vale. So I just have to pray that everything worked out on that side of the world? Damiano must be in contact with Vince, though. My brother will for sure tell him what I’ve said about Ras.
“Gem?”
I blink, realizing Cleo’s looking at me expectantly.
She nudges my knee. “What’s going on?”
Can I tell her the truth? Just the thought of doing it makes an ache move down my throat. But there’s no one else I can talk to about Ras, and I do want to talk about Ras.
It’s been less than a day, and I already miss him so much.
Tears well up in my eyes. “I don’t even know where to start.”
My choked-up voice makes worry slip into Cleo’s expression. “Are you okay?” She scans me over with her gaze. “Are you still hurt?”
“Physically, I’m fine.”
“What is it then?”
I sniff. “I came back because of Ras. He took me away even though Damiano didn’t want him to, and he got himself into a lot of trouble. I couldn’t be responsible for ruining his life.”
“Why would Ras do that?”
“Because he…” I start crying again. God, this isn’t like me. I’m not usually a leaky faucet, but just thinking about what I lost sends me into despair.
Cleo moves up the bed and kneels beside me. “Something happened between the two of you.”
My temple prickles in the exact place where his lips traced out the words.
“I love you, Peaches.”
I’m overcome with a longing so strong that my throat closes right up.
Cleo’s eyes widen. “Gemma, what did you do?” she asks quietly. “Did you fall for each other?”
All I can do is nod.
She cradles my face in her hands, her eyes turning pink at the edges. “Oh, Gem. You’re so broken up over this. You should have stayed with him.
“I couldn’t,” I croak. “Don’t you understand that if I didn’t come back, Ras would have lost everything? He acted rashly in the moment because he was so upset about seeing me hurt. He disobeyed Damiano, who’s his don. We would have had to live out our lives in hiding if I’d stayed.”
She pulls her hands away. “And would you have minded that? I mean, you would have figured out a way to come out of hiding eventually.”
I bring my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. “No, I wouldn’t have minded, but reality would have caught up with us sooner or later, and Ras would have regretted losing his position as the underboss of the Casalesi. How could I ask him to give up the title he’s worked so hard to get? How could I ask him to turn his back on his friend, a person he so clearly loves like a brother?”
“It doesn’t sound like you asked him for anything, Gem. He did it willingly. Instead of rushing to solve his problems, you should have left the choice to him.”
Her words land with a sting. Why does it feel like she’s attacking me right now? “I did what was right. He would have regretted it sooner or later.”
“You can’t possibly know that.”