Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6

The priest started reading Bible verses. All about God making man in his image, then creating woman…

There was other stuff, but I tuned it out.

All I could think about was Cat and how I could’ve married her back home.

About how she knew I’d said ‘no’ when Dario offered me a chance…

And how that must have broken her heart.

But she still stuck by me.

She risked everything to come to Sicily to be with me.

She’d begged me, over and over, to run away with her –

But I’d always said ‘no.’

Why?

Because I had to do it ‘for the family.’

We didn’t know if Massimo and Lars were alive or dead.

And if Roberto didn’t come through, we’d be too broke to fight Fausto.

But Massimo was alive. He was right behind me.

Lars was alive, too.

And Roberto had gotten the money.

In short, all the reasons Niccolo had arranged this marriage –

None of them applied anymore.

And yet I was still going through with it.

Not to mention Massimo, Lars, and Roberto all got to choose the women they wanted to be with.

Not me.

No, Niccolo had decided that for me –

And I fucking hated him for it.

But…

As I stood there listening to the priest drone on and on…

I realized that it wasn’t Niccolo’s fault.

Not really.

Yeah, he’d arranged it all…

But I kept blaming him because I didn’t want to take responsibility.

I had the chance to marry Cat.

I had the chance to run away with her.

I had the option to say No to my family.

I could’ve said, I love her, and I want to be with her, and I’m not marrying Isabella, and that’s that.

But I didn’t.

Because…

In the end…

I was the piece of shit in all of this.

Weeks ago at dinner with Don Vicari, I’d stood up to the fucker when he was an asshole to Isabella.

Because there was an unspoken rule:

A man who won’t stick up for his woman is a piece of shit, unworthy of respect.

And yet…

I hadn’t stood up for Caterina.

I hadn’t stood up for the woman I loved.

I hadn’t even admitted to myself that I loved her until it was too late –

But I’d known.

I’d always known.

It was just like Cat had said:

I’d always treated her like a dirty little secret –

Like a side chick instead of the woman I loved.

Because I was fucking stupid.

Because I wanted my ‘freedom.’

Because I didn’t want to be tied down.

But it all came down to one thing:

I’d acted like a boy…

Not a man.

I’d failed the ultimate test of being a man, and the only one that fucking mattered:

I hadn’t treasured the woman I loved.

I’d let her down over and over and over again.

Cat had never let me down, not once –

But I’d failed her every single time.

I’d been stupid…noveldrama

And immature…

And selfish…

And I fucking hated myself for it.

It wasn’t Niccolo who was to blame; it was me.

And now I was going to pay for it for the rest of my life.