Page 29 of Vow of Darkness
“You’re married to George. Not me. You belong to another mafia man. Not me. We were always just for fun, Ginevra, but we both knew it wasn’t serious.”
“But George doesn’t even care we’ve fucked. We can do it again. Right here. Take me on this piano. Fuck me until it hurts. I need it,” she whines. “Please.”
Gabriel slams his hands against the keys. “We are done. Aurora is my wife now. I don’t want you anymore.”
I press my body against the wall, holding my hand over my heart. I don’t know how to make sense of any of this. Confusion. A strange sort of contentment that Gabriel ischoosing me over Ginevra. And the slight pang of jealousy knowing he’s been with her before. But why would I care if Gabriel has been with another woman? I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t care.
If I repeat it enough times, maybe I’ll start to believe it.
Ginevra storms out of the room before I can walk away. She spots me immediately and walks right over. “Were you listening in? It’s not polite to eavesdrop.”
“You were trying to get my husband to cheat on me. I don’t think you get the right to lecture me right now.”
Her eyes narrow, becoming dark. It sends a tingle down my spine. “You think you’re so clever? I told you on your wedding day that he will fuck you bloody. He did it to me. Your husband is a monster.”
“So why were you asking him to have sex with you then?”
She stands back, clearly shocked I would even ask this. Ginevra doesn’t know who I am. That I’m not afraid to stand up for myself. “Because I liked it. But an innocent little girl like you will hate it. You’re not equipped to handle him. I am.”
“But he doesn’t want you anymore. He just told you that.”
“You’re a little bitch, you know that?”
“Ginevra, wait,” I say as she starts to walk away. “I just have to know something.”
“Why would I tell you anything?”
“How did Gabriel get his scar?”
She stares at me for a long moment before she laughs sharply. “You think I know that? No one knows why. And even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you a damn thing.” She storms away and I don’t stop her.
I glance into the ballroom to find Gabriel playing the piano, looking lost in his thoughts. A part of me desperately wants to go in there and talk with him and another part of me is absolutely terrified. So terrified I can’t even move.
I finally make a choice and walk away from the ballroom, leaving him to his piano. Fresh air is what I need. I make my way to the backyard and settle in the garden, breathing in the scent of the flowers. Late at night with the moon out gives everything an eerie but beautiful glow. I feel that way about Gabriel. Both eerie and beautiful.
“There you are,” a man says. Standing up, I see George coming towards me. The sight of him makes me instantly run away. The only problem is: he gives chase.
I run into the hedge maze without even thinking about it. My body only knows I need to get away from him. Just get away.
I can hear George chasing me from behind. He’s too fast and eventually catches up to me, grabbing me around the waist. I let out a loud, piercing scream before he slams his hand over my mouth.
“I was denied you,” he growls into my ear. “Your fucking husband got in my way. But if he thinks he can fuck with my wife and I’m not allowed to fuck you, then he has another thing coming for him.”
“Don’t do this,” I sob. “Don’t do this.”
George pushes me onto the ground and immediately gets on top of me. His hands find the end of my dress and push it up. I scream as his fingers touch the waistband of my underwear. I don’t stop screaming. I’ll never stop fighting.
It’s then that I see Gabriel appear behind George’s shoulder. He yanks George off me and throws him to the ground. I sit up, pushing my dress down.
Gabriel towers over George. “What were you doing?”
“You’ve been fucking my wife for years,” George says. “It was only fair I get to do the same to yours.”
“It’s not my fault you can’t please your wife. It’s the only reason Ginevra came to me in the first place. I was happy to oblige. An easy fuck. And trust me when I say, George, that your wife made it so fucking easy for me.”
“We’re partners. You have to respect your partners.”
Gabriel scoffs. “You’re just a man I work with because it’s convenient. But I am head of the mafia in this city and you know it. Nothing and no one can overpower me. You didn’t say anything about me fucking Ginevra because you cared more about using me for power than your own wife. I wouldn’t even be surprised that if you offered your wife up to me in the first place to get on my good side.”
