Page 142 of Mafia Obsession

Maybe it was the vodka talking, but the man appears, on all accounts, broken.

I don’t ever want to be broken like that.

“I’m moving into the Aurelian,” I say to Daria, closing down the tablet she gave me with her reports.

“Lourdes just got settled in your penthouse. You should?—”

“No,” I cut her off sharply. “I’m moving therealone. That was the plan all along. Lourdes can stay in the penthouse.”

Distancing myself from her, at least for now, is the only way to keep myself from doing something that might fracture everything I’ve spent years building. I refuse to let the pull of her warmth, her laugh, her gaze, and her body compromise me any longer.

“When will you want Mrs. Zervas to join you there?” Daria asks.

I let the silence stretch a moment longer than necessary. “I don’t know.”

“When are you telling her that you’re moving?” Daria stands, since I’ve signaled the meeting is over.

“Tonight.”

Chapter 58

Lourdes

Istare at the little plastic test stick in my hand. My chest swells with a mixture of joy and panic.

Two pink lines.

The last time I saw two lines like this, it changed my life. A jump into a loveless marriage followed by a loss that hollowed out my insides until I barely recognized myself.

This time feels different. There’s a strange pulse of hope pumping through me. Still, my hands shake as I wrap the stick in a tissue and place it into one of the drawers of my bathroom vanity. I had planned to get on birth control as soon as I got my period. But it never came.

I need to keep this a secret until I can see the doctor for a proper test. Until I know this tiny life inside me is safe. And viable.

I glance in the mirror. Months of no longer hiding bruises with layers of makeup, of living under threats of violence, have brightened my skin. With proper rest and healthy meals, I’ve returned to my old self. And having my sister in a better place and a constant part of my life has eliminated a world of stress. The reflection staring back is someone who has survived and reclaimed herself.

I hear the front door open, and the penthouse erupts into sounds of chaos as it usually does when Ares arrives home. He greets his valet and the cook, and then there are footsteps of the guards starting perimeter checks.

It’s all my silent warning to prepare myself to face my very powerful husband.

Ares stands at one of the living room windows, his back to me, one hand curled around a glass. His posture is taut with control, and I love watching him in these moments, when he’s unaware of my presence. I can hardly believe he’s mine. And we’re having a baby.

I move forward, taking small steps, and when I’m close, I wrap my arms around his waist, seekingthe warmth of his touch. I’m usually greeted with a hand pressed over mine, a kiss on the knuckles, and on a few occasions, a hard fuck against that wall.

This time, Ares stiffens under my touch, slowly moving my hand away.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, hating the panic in my voice.

He turns slowly and with sharp, cold eyes, he says, “I’m moving into the Aurelian.”

The words hit like a physical blow to the chest. “What?”

“It’s complete. As my new base of syndicate operations, it makes sense that I live there.”

I’mmoving.Ilive there. He’s… He’s leaving me.

He’s been planning to take the residence at the Aurelian since October. I’m the one who never thought to ask if I was part of that plan.

“When?” I stagger back, my heart pounding. “When areyoumoving?”