But I’d fallen anyway.
The street beyond the window blurred.
“Who do you love more, Mia?” Jenny’s voice sliced through the air. She didn’t try to soften the blow. “Him or your father?”
I swiped a tear sliding down my cheek with the back of my hand. “That’s not fair.”
“Lots of things in life aren’t fair,” she retorted sharply. “Romolo Ferraro is an expert in unfairness. Just look at what he and his family do. Last week, there was an explosion at a warehouse in Brooklyn. Three dead. Rumor is, it was his family sending a warning to some gang trying to move in on their turf.”
“That’s a rumor.” My voice shook.
“They’re fucking criminals,” she spat. “You know this, Mia. How can you turn a blind eye to it? I thought you were better than this.”
Impotent fury scraped through my chest. She was right. Hewasa criminal. And the Mia from a few months ago would have folded under the weight of that truth.
But I wasn’t the same woman anymore. I’d changed. And I couldn’t reduce Romolo to just that single label.
My teeth clenched. “You don’t know him.”
“And neither do you,” Jenny shot back, her anger rolling off her in waves. “If you think he has even a single redeeming quality, you’re deluding yourself. If you don’t end it, I’ll have no choice but to tell your father. There’s too much at stake.”
“This has nothing to do with the election.” If Jenny just kept her mouth shut, no one would find out.
And yeah, I had to end it. Eventually. But I wanted to do it on my own terms.
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to an icy calm. “We both know that’s not true. I’ll have you put on house arrest if I have to. Youcannotsee him again.”
“You have no right to control me like that!” I snapped.
“I might not have the right, but I have the power. If your father knew what you’ve been up to these past few weeks, he’d give me carte blanche to do whatever I think is necessary to keep you in line. It would be for your own good. When you wake up from this madness—and that’s exactly what this is—you’ll realize just how close you were to making the biggest mistake of your life.”
I felt like I was suffocating. “I’ve doneeverythingyou’ve asked of me this entire year.”
“And it will all be for nothing if you screw up these last few weeks.”
The car slowed to a stop outside the campaign offices.
Jenny’s gaze assessed me coldly, as if she were seeing me for the first time. “You have three days to end it. After that, I’ll do whatever it takes to protect this campaign.”
Then, with a shake of her head, she opened the door and stepped out—leaving me behind. Shattered.
CHAPTER38
ROM
The second crystal tumbler smashed against the window, and shards rained down onto the hardwood floor. “That son of a bitch!”
Dad didn’t lose his temper easily, but the disaster at the restaurant had pushed him over the edge. The drive back to the penthouse had been the tensest fucking car ride of my life.
“I’ll call the staff to clean this up,” Mother said, eyeing the broken glass.
“Not now,” Dad barked. “You can handle a little mess, Vita.”
Jesus. He was snapping at her. That’s how you knew it was bad.
I walked over to the bar and splashed some whiskey into the last surviving tumbler. I needed a fucking drink. Rage still simmered beneath my skin at the veiled threat against Mia. But more than anything, I was furious with myself. I hadn’t been able to stop it. Hadn’t been able to defend her.
The only comfort was knowing I’d never let my father touch a hair on her head. I didn’t care what it took. If I had to play her personal bodyguard, so be it.
