“If we announce it now, people will catch on and realize we struck a deal. Emma will be devastated if she finds out Samuel only agreed to marry her if I marry Sofia.”
“You would have married Sofia either way,” Dad said.
It was true. Sofia was a good match for me, at least from a political standpoint.
And yet it felt as if I’d been bested.
I closed my bag. I’d packed enough for exactly one night. The Cavallaros’ Christmas party was tomorrow, and I was expected to attend. My parents insisted it would look bad if I stayed away, and they were probably right. If your Capo invited you to a party, you were expected to attend. I wasn’t looking forward to my trip to Chicago. I’d leave tomorrow morning and then return the day after. Perhaps I should have aimed to spend more time with my future family, considering the Mione clan would be there, too, but losing Serafina was still too fresh. So far, I’d avoided social gatherings altogether. I hadn’t even attended Pietro’s fiftieth birthday party.
Pietro’s name flashed on my cellphone. I considered not taking the call. He wouldn’t call me for good news. None of our recent conversations had been remotely pleasant. Maybe Dante had canceled his fucking Christmas party. Of course, Pietro wouldn’t call me for something like that. I didn’t want to attend it anyway, but not attending would suggest I was still hung up on Serafina.
“Pietro, what can I do for you? I’m busy.”
“I won’t take long. I just . . . I have to tell you something.”
From the tone of his voice, I knew I’d hate whatever he had to say.
“What is it?”
“Serafina is pregnant. She’s seventeen weeks along.”
The news hit me like a sledgehammer. Another reminder of how Remo had taken her from me. As if even from afar he’d found another way to humiliate me by showing me again how he’d dishonored my fiancée.
“I thought it best that you hear it from us and not someone else.”
“How considerate of you,” I gritted out, feeling like my insides were going up in flames. Anger had become a familiar companion. “Thank you for letting me know.”
“I’d understand if you decided not to attend due to these circumstances.”
Everything in me screamed to take the easy way out. I didn’t want to see Serafina again, especially not now that I knew she carried Remo Falcone’s child. Yet, my pride was in tatters and I wouldn’t allow anyone to stomp it to the ground completely, especially not Remo Falcone. “I don’t see why I should. Serafina is no longer my concern. Sofia is my fiancée now.” Even I could hear the lingering bitterness in my voice.
Pietro cleared his throat. “Very well. See you then.”
For a long time after I ended the call, I stared at nothing.
The whirr of the wheelchair announced Emma’s appearance. I schooled my features into an expression of calm when she appeared in the doorframe.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her too-attentive eyes taking in my face. Emma knew me too well, and she was simply too good at reading other people’s emotions.
“I’m fine,” I pressed out. She was too young to be weighed down by my problems. Besides, she had her own issues to conquer.
She bit her lip. “Okay.”
Forcing a smile, I walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be with Mom and Dad then, right?”
I nodded, but then an idea struck me. “Why don’t you come along? I’m in need of company.”
Her entire face transformed into pure joy and surprise. “Really? Won’t I be a bother?”
I squatted in front of her and gripped her knees. “You aren’t a bother, Emma.”
Having Emma with me in Chicago would certainly hold me back, which was exactly why I needed Emma there with me. I rarely lost my shit when she was around. I wanted to protect her from that side of me, and I really needed someone to stop me from losing my shit. Seeing Serafina again might very well make me lose it altogether.
After dinner, I called my father to inform him that he and Mother wouldn’t have to take care of Emma in the next few days.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Father asked. He sounded weaker than last time I’d talked to him, as if he could barely take in enough breath to press out a single word.
“Emma needs to be among people.”
“You know how people always stare at her.”
“I know, but I don’t give a fuck. Let them stare.”
The moment Emma and I entered the Cavallaro mansion through the back entrance—because that one was wheelchair accessible—and stepped into the lobby, people’s attention shifted toward us. It was difficult to determine who of us was the center of their open curiosity—Emma in her wheelchair or myself. Dante and his wife Valentina headed toward us and I shook their hands. After that, Emma and I moved into the living area where most of the guests had gathered.
Emma gave me an embarrassed smile. “People are staring.”
“They’re staring at me. The abandoned bridegroom,” I said in a forced joking voice.
Emma’s eyes widened. Luckily, Dante’s daughter, Anna, and Sofia were heading our way. Sofia gave me a bright smile. Her cheeks turned red when I smiled back at her.
“Hi,” she said. She smoothed out her dress and bit her lip, appearing almost as if she were waiting for something. Emma and Dante’s daughter hugged and picked up a conversation while I was left to stare at Sofia’s expectant face.
“How are you?” Sofia asked, then flushed an even deeper red.
I frowned, wondering where she was going with this. “I’m fine.” My tone was clipped. Then my eyes landed on her. Serafina entered the room with Samuel, their arms linked. She was dressed in an elegant, loose-fitting dress. My
