“I’ll try to be.”
Once we’re done, I turn to Alek and hug him with everything I have inside of me.
“Did you have to do this to me?” I whisper to him. “Give me away like this?”
“I am sorry, Nina. It’s business. But I’m always on your side.”
Katya offers me a quick hug and then it’s time for Susanna. I turn to my sister but she insists on ignoring me.
“I’m moving in with Luca,” I tell her. “So I won’t see you as often. I do love you, you know.”
She huffs. That’s the only thing I get from her.
“Fine,” I say. “Bye.”
As I’m heading back to Luca, the ballroom doors open and a man waltzes inside like he owns the place. I don’t think anything of it until I look at Luca and see the strain on his face. He doesn’t like this man.
“Hello, Luca,” the man says, stopping by Luca’s table.
“Gabriel,” Luca practically hisses. “I didn’t send you an invitation.”
“I didn’t need one to come.” Gabriel sets his eyes onto me. He’s a handsome man in a dashing sort of way. Looks to be around Luca’s age. “This must be your new wife.”
Luca makes a point to stand in front of me. “Gabriel, go. You’re not going to show up here just to kill me.”
“Of course not. I just wanted to see who you married. That’s all. And now I know for a fact that you made a deal with Alek Morozov, a fucking Russian. You are a traitor to your own kind.”
With those menacing words, Gabriel storms back out of the ballroom.
The tension in Luca’s body is palpable.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Just a man to watch out for.”
“An enemy?”
Luca sighs and finally meets my eyes. “Yes. Be careful of him. He likes to cause problems.”
I settle my eyes on Susanna. It appears that Luca and I have something more in common than I ever thought possible. We both have our own personal demons.
Something about that thought urges me to take Luca’s hand in mine. He raises his eyebrows in surprise but doesn’t say anything. Only gives my hand a squeeze in return.
Chapter Five
Nina
Luca takes me to his home.
My new home.
That’s something I’m going to have to get used to. I belong to Luca Moretti now. My old life is over and already I’m losing so much. My old house. My sister. I won’t even see my mom as much, which hits the hardest.
Luca leads me into the house with a commanding presence. This is his domain. Where he holds all the power.
The house itself is beautiful. Elegant and refined. White colors with splashes of blue to make everything seem beachier, even though we’re in the heart of New York city.
“This is your home now,” Luca says as he walks me through every room. “I want you to like it here. I don’t want a miserable wife.”
