Page 96 of His Tesoro

The suspense finally got to me—I needed to see what Matteo had put in the closet. I called Noodle over and leaned on him while I got out of the tub.

“What do you think the surprise is, malysh?”

I quickly dried off, wrapped my robe around myself, and pushed open the door to the closet.

I stopped in my tracks.

Matteo’s walk-in closet was massive—the size of my childhood bedroom—and until now, it had contained a long row of his suits on one side and the clothes Sienna got me on the other. But now the back wall was filled with a large display of jewelry that looked like it was out of a movie. My heart pounded as I moved closer. The wall was lit, highlighting bracelets, necklaces, and earrings arranged in a rainbow of gemstones, and in the center was a diamond tiara.

“Holy shit.”

I approached the display slowly, as if an alarm would go off if I got too close. Tucked behind the tiara was a note. I picked it up with trembling fingers.

For my queen

I flipped the card, looking for more writing, for some sort of explanation for my husband’s sudden over-the-top lavish gift-giving, but there was nothing.

I sat down on the seat of my rollator and stared at the jewelry. It didn’t feel like it was really mine. But then again, nothing in my current life felt real.

I ran my fingers along the edge of the card, taking in all the details of Matteo’s handwriting—the unexpected swoop and flourishes of his letters—before pressing it to my chest. Warmth spread within me because no matter what, this card was real. While I wouldn’t read into it, wouldn’t let my mind believe my husband’s gifts meant love, they did mean something.

I smiled as I ran my fingers over the diamond tiara.

51

SOFIYA

Iwas on the kitchen stool, using the pasta maker I’d found in the back of the pantry, when the door opened and Sienna skipped in.

“Sofiya! I’ve missed you! Matteo is keeping you to himself way too much.”

I met her hug, keeping my floured hands and wrist braces in the air so I didn’t get it all over her cute outfit.

“He’s been very protective since the attack,” I said.

“Some say protective, some say overbearing monster.”

I grinned. I’d loved how intense things had been with Matteo and me the past few days, but I’d missed Sienna.

“Homemade pasta for lunch? Girl, you’re making me look bad. You’re practically more Italian than I am.”

“I’m trying,” I said with a little shrug. “Cooking is the one thing I’ve always been good at.” I was wearing my wrist braces today to keep them stable while I used the pasta maker.

“I’m sure you’re good at about a million things,” Sienna said.

It was sweet of her to say, but it wasn’t true. I wasn’t very smart and I barely had any skills, but feeding others made me feel like I was bringing some goodness into the world.

She hopped up on the seat beside me. “How was the party last night?”

I passed another sheet of pasta through the machine. “It was… well, I’m not sure. Matteo talked Mafia business with the men. Most of the women were pretty standoffish.” I was used to the stares and whispers from the Bratva wives, but I’d hoped things might be different here. “But I met this woman named Leona.”

Sienna’s eyes widened. “Leona Byrne?”

“Yeah. Do you know her?”

“Holy shit. I didn’t know she was back in town.” Sienna handed me the next sheet of dough. “We were friends, but I haven’t seen her in ages. Her mom, Aurora, was best friends with my mamma. I don’t know exactly what happened, but from what I’ve gathered, I think mamma helped Aurora leave the Family and marry her Irish boyfriend. I think they were happy together until my uncle came into power. He killed Aurora for defecting.” She cleared her throat, and my heart squeezed.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

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