Page 104 of Righteous Enforcer
Is it really fear of Alessandro? Of the life I lead? Or is there something deeper she's hiding, something that keeps her walls as firmly in place as mine are now?
She holds her secrets even as she watches me and Mirabella with awe, even love, radiating from her. In moments of weakness, I wonder if there’s something salvageable between us. But she’d have to trust me. And I’d have to trust her, and I can’t risk having her break me again.
Mirabella places her small hand on my cheek, demanding my attention. "Listen, Daddy."
"Sorry, Princess. Tell me again."
When I glance toward the window again, I see Eva looking in a different direction, her body stiffening and color draining from her face.
Alessandro appears next to her. They’re speaking, but I can’t make out the words. Knowing Alessandro, they’re not nice words. Perhaps they’re threats. I suppose I need to put more guards out tonight and sleep on the floor of Mirabella’s room in case Eva tries to run again.
"Daddy, you're breaking it," Mirabella protests as my hand inadvertently knocks over part of our creation.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Princess.” I replace the fallen blocks, and for a moment, I wish I could fix my life just as easily.
I’m still pissed at Eva, but I have to consider how difficult it must be to live in a house in which one person isn’t hiding their distrust or willingness to eliminate perceived threats.
As toxic as it is for her, she chose to come back to be Mirabella’s mother.
I should have a talk with Alessandro. Unless he’s learned something new, he doesn’t need to go around intimidating Eva.
She might have secrets, but she’s a good mother.
A woman I loved more than I thought possible.
A woman I can’t seem to stop loving no matter how hard I try.
And just like that, a brick protecting my heart begins to crumble.
26
EVA
I sink deeper into the armchair, unable to tear my eyes away from Adriano and Mirabella playing outside.
Her laughter bubbles up, pure and uninhibited. It’s a laugh I never heard from her until Adriano.
The realization pierces my heart. It’s acknowledgement of how important Adriano is to her. How much she needs him. How she should have always been in his life.
In another life, one where my father hadn't been threatened by the Bratva, where I hadn't been forced to spy on the Dantes, where Lorenzo hadn't discovered my betrayal, we might have been this family from the beginning.
Adriano catches me watching and holds my gaze for a moment. Something unspoken passes between us, but I wouldn’t call it a warm connection.
He’s angry and hurt, as he should be.
And yet, there’s something in his gaze that tells me I’m not as emotionally dead to him as he says.
I wish I were brave enough to confess everything to him.
But even if I were, at this point, it’s too late.
I’ve done too much damage.
I need to settle for what I have now.
I’m still in Mirabella’s life, living on borrowed time until Alessandro or Adriano learns the truth.
The buzzing of my phone jolts me from my thoughts. I reach for it, expecting nothing important, maybe a notification from one of the apps I downloaded to entertain Mirabella.
