I take another step. “Your name is on it. Whether you signed it is not the point.” On paper, she is my wife.
She tilts her head to the side, tears building in her eyes. “You tricked me.”
I say nothing.
She looks around the room. “And you all knew.”
Again, no one speaks because they all did. Even her mother.
“Mom?” She turns to face her. “You knew this?”
She nods softly. “I had to …”
“How could you?” Her voice cracks.
“I told you at the clubhouse. You needed to be a Bianchi—”
“No,” she interrupts her. “You could have told me. You could have …”
“I couldn’t say anything. It would have cost you your life!” she shouts, getting angry. “Why can’t you get this through your head? You know what kind of weight has been on my shoulders ever since I got pregnant with you?” she screams. “Haven.” She lowers her voice and walks over to her. Grabbing her hands, she continues. “I prayed every day that he wouldn’t want you. Even after he allowed your father to adopt you, I still feared he’d come for you.” Her eyes go to mine before returning to her daughter. “I needed Luca to save you. He was the only one who could. So I did what was best for you.”
She rips her hands from her mother’s and turns to face me. “So, what? The wedding was just going to be a formality?”
“Yes,” I say simply.
She looks at Bones then at Titan, but they stay quiet. This isn’t their fight. They may have known my plans, but their loyalty is to me. Not her.
Her brows pull together in deep thought, and then her brown eyes fill with fresh tears as she looks up at me. “Did you know he was my father?” I open my mouth, but she continues. “Is this why you did this? Picked me?”
“Haven …?”
“Your family has been fighting with Rossi for years. This would be the ultimate fuck you. Marrying his daughter and posting it for the world to see. Rubbing it in his face.”
I take the three steps to close the small distance. Placing both of my hands on her tear-streaked face, I cup her cheeks. “No. You know this.” She’s already asked me this once. “I’ve always loved you, Haven. You are a Bianchi now. And I will protect you until I die. If that means lying to you, then that’s what I will do.”
She pulls away from me, and my hands fall to my sides. Then without another word, she turns and enters the master suite.
“Haven …” her mother calls out, following her.
She slams the door in her face, and the sound of the lock follows.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HAVEN
I PACE BACK and forth in the bedroom. My arms crossed over my chest and tears in my eyes.
I’m married.
I’m fucking married.
No matter how many times I repeat it, I can’t believe it.
He tricked me. That part isn’t so hard to comprehend. That’s a Bianchi for you. I knew he was keeping something from me.
“Fucking liar,” I growl, fisting my hands.
Was he ever going to tell me? I don’t remember the contract mentioning marriage exactly. Just children. I need to read it. What else is on there?
Storming out of the bedroom, I come to a stop when I see it’s empty. I look around the open living room and kitchen. There’s a door on the other side of the living room, but it’s open. It must be to another bedroom. “Mom?” I call out. Nothing. “Luca?” I demand. Nothing.
I walk across the living room and pass the bar, entering the kitchen. I yank open the fridge and grab a bottle of water. Turning around, I jump when I see Nite standing in the living room with his arms crossed over his chest. “Jesus.” I hiss. “Where the hell did Luca go?”
He doesn’t answer.
My teeth grind. “So, we’re back to this?”
Still he says nothing. I want to be mad at him, but I can’t. I hate what I did to him. What Rossi did to him. “I’m sorry,” I say softly. He showed me something very personal, and I don’t want him to think he owes me. If anything, I owe him.
“Did Luca leave with Bones and Titan?”
He nods, which means they’re in the hotel somewhere. Probably meeting with the others to go over their plan.
“Did my mother get her own room?” I ask.
He nods again.
I figured she would. Leaving him standing in the living room, I re-enter the bedroom and unzip my Louis Vuitton suitcase and remove my phone. I call Em. Even after everything that has been going on with me, I think of her all the time. When it rings, my heart soars, thinking that this may be the time I get to hear her voice. I miss her so much. I could really use her right now. But it drops when I get her voicemail after the third ring. “Hey, you’ve reached Emilee. I’m not available at this time …”