Married to My Enemy

“You heard what I said. This is officially your last chance, Giovanni. You fix whatever is going on with Arianna and get this engagement turned back on, or you can quit calling yourself a Romano.”

I stared back at my father, into those eyes that were so like my own. Never before had I felt such hatred toward the man. Never before had I doubted whether he even loved me. I’d always had a feeling that he sometimes didn’t like me, and I knew that he was far harder on me than he had ever been on any of my brothers. But I had always chalked it up to the fact that I was the oldest. I figured that deep down, he was the toughest on me because he ultimately planned on leaving me with the family business and wanted to ensure that I was responsible enough for it. And I’d always wanted to believe that this was all because he loved me. But now, all of that had changed because I finally knew how he really felt about me.

I stepped back, unable to stand to look into his face for another second. As far as I was concerned, he was no longer a father of mine. A real father cared more about his children than his money, and that couldn’t be said in the slightest for Luca Romano, at least not when it came to me. Luca Romano was the devil from what I could tell. And if he could denounce me so easily from the family without bothering to take my side of the story into consideration—to so easily believe the words of strangers over his own flesh and blood—then so be it. I was done with him.

And if I could help myself, I was done with Arianna Marino and her two-faced ways as well. Never mind that she had been the first girl that I’d ever truly felt something for. Clearly, she was an unstable, conniving little bitch who liked to toy with people’s emotions. The innocent and pure stuff was probably just an act that she had mastered for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc on the lives of unsuspecting men like myself. Sure, I had played the field as far as women were concerned, but never had I done anything as tactless as this.

Arianna had just taken it to a whole new level.

I slammed the door to my father’s office, hoping to break every window in the building with the force of it. I got into my car and sped off, feeling as if I could go the rest of my life without ever seeing that man again.

CHAPTER 19

Arianna

“Honey, I’m going to the store. Do you need anything?” Mama asked.

Sitting at the kitchen table in front of a soggy bowl of cereal, I shook my head.

She stood before me, frowning. “Do you have any plans for the night?”

I shook my head again.

She sighed. “Ari, I know you’re upset, but it’s going to be all right. For the record, your father and I are sorry. We honestly thought Giovanni would be good for you.”

I blinked. “I don’t blame you or Daddy, Mama. The only person to blame is Giovanni.” And myself, for not seeing through his charade…

She came to my side, wrapped her arm around me, and kissed my forehead. “Regardless, of who’s to blame, I don’t want you to keep moping around, honey. You’re just going to make yourself feel worse. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, even things like this. So, don’t be too hard on yourself. What you’re going through now just means something better is in store for you and our family, all right?”

I stared at the soggy cereal in front of me, and the swirls of cinnamon floating through the milk. I then picked up a spoonful and let it splash back down into the bowl.

Mama shook my shoulder. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yes, Mama. I’ll…I’ll try to move on from this.”

“Okay. Good girl.”

* * *

I found myself home alone again when the doorbell rang. I sat up on the couch, where I had been lying all afternoon, idly flipping through the channels in search of television programming that I didn’t have the focus t

o concentrate on.

The instant the doorbell rang, I felt sure it was Giovanni, just like last time I refused to accept his calls, and he unceremoniously showed up on my doorstep. This time though, he was even more unwelcome.

Surely, he should have known by now that the engagement was over…

The doorbell rang again, and I just stared at the door. After repeated rings, he began knocking rapidly. Yet, when a voice sounded from the other side of the door, it wasn’t his.

“Come on, Ari! We know you’re in there! Open up!”

Startled, I stood from the couch, recognizing Angela’s voice.

When I answered the door, she stood on the porch with our other friend, Jessica, who was holding a box of pizza.

With crumbled used tissue in my hand, I stared at them. “What are you guys doing here?”

They entered the house. “We’re here,” Jessica said, “because your mom told us that you were sitting around the house being pathetic. Over a man, no less.”