Page 117 of The Mafia King's Reign
"He's not his father. And honestly, I’m not afraid of him."
“He may not be his father, but he can still become a monster honey.”
I think about what Salvatore and I have become, and the power that I have in our relationship.
“Mom, don’t worry about Salvatore, he’s no threat to me. And if he becomes a monster, he’ll become my monster.”
Mama’s eyes widen. “Not just Salvatore. Don’t let it change you.
Like I said honey, I already know how he feels. When I visited you at the compound, I saw the way he talked about you even then.”
"So you approve?" Sofia asks incredulously. "Of this whole mafia marriage thing?"
"I don't approve of any of it," Mama says sharply. "My daughter shouldn't be paying for her father's sins… or mine. She shouldn't have been forced into anything." Her voice softens. "But I also can't deny what I see. And what I see is a real connection between two people. That's rare, Sofia. Even rarer in that world."
Then Sofia looks down, sadness filling her expression.
“What about dad?”
"What's going to happen to him?" Sofia asks suddenly. "Is he... is he okay?"
Mama and I exchange a glance.
“Has he mentioned his plans for your father, Valentina?”
"What happens?" she presses. "After the wedding, after you become his wife, what happens to him?
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
I hadn't thought about it.
In all the chaos of falling. Falling into Salvatore's bed, falling into his life, falling into something terrifying, I hadn't thought about what any of it means for my father. The man whose choices put me here. Sure, my mother ran too, but they would have probably let all of this go if he hadn’t gotten caught up with the mafia again.
"I… I don't know, Mama." The words taste like failure. "I haven't thought about it."
Her face crumples before she schools it back. She pats my hand the way she used to when I was a child.
"This world, the one you're marrying into, it doesn't let go. Once you're in, you're in forever. There's no divorce in the mafia. No walking away when things get hard. If you do this, if you say those vows, you're a Vitale until the day you die. Your children will be Vitales. Your grandchildren. The name carries weight—and danger—for generations."
"I know."
"Do you?" She reaches out, cups my face in her hands the way she used to when I was a little girl. "I ran,caraI spent forty years hiding, looking over my shoulder, terrified that one day the past would catch up with us. And it did. It caught your father. It caught you." Tears glisten in her eyes. "I don't want that life for you. The fear, the secrets, the violence always lurking at the edges."
"But?" I prompt softly, because I can hear it in her voice—there's more.
"But I also see something I never had with Giovanni." She strokes my cheek with her thumb. "I see choice. Real choice. Not the contract or the arrangement—I see the way you've chosen to open your heart to him despite everything. And I see the way he's chosen to be different, to be better, because of you."
"Mama..."
"I'm not telling you what to do. I can't. You're a grown woman, and this is your life." She releases my face but keeps hold of my hands. "But I am telling you this: whatever you decide, decide it with your eyes open. Know exactly what you're walking into. Know the cost. And know that whatever happens, your sister and I will love you. Always."
Sofia throws her arms around both of us, and suddenly we're all crying—the three Marino women, huddled together in a fancy wedding planner's studio, holding onto each other like we're afraid to let go.
"I love you both so much," I manage through my tears.
"We love you too,cara." Mama kisses my forehead. "We love you too."
When we finally pull apart, wiping our eyes and laughing at what a mess we must look, Sofia grabs her champagne.
