Page 79 of Dark Mafia Heir

I bob my head more times than is necessary. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about something.”

“Do you care to share?”

I shake my head. “It’s not something important.” It’s something beyond important.

“Do you want me to show you around the place?”

“Yes, I would like that.”

He smiles. It’s so warm and his eyes are so sparkly that I almost catch myself smiling back, save for the constant churning in my chest, reminding me of the secret I am keeping. I wonder if it’ll ruin everything if I tell him today.

He nods at my cup. “Finish your coffee, and I’ll show you around.”

I hurriedly finish my coffee and follow him outside the building. The entire place is so serene and beautiful that I wouldn’t mind living out the rest of my life here.

A smile plays on my lips as a mental image of raising our kids here and watching them run around forms in my head. I imagine Antonio running around with them. He’s not the grumpy mafia boss who eats the heart of his enemies for breakfast. He’s just my husband—our children’s father.

God, why do I keep dreaming of something I’ll never have? When did I go from looking for a way out of here to dreaming of a future with him?

My papa will be furious when he finds out. He’ll hate me, and I wonder how Harper will react to it. Will she detest the idea of being an aunt to Antonio’s daughter? To her, he’s nothing more than a villain who kidnapped her sister after all.

I don’t notice the tears sliding down my cheeks until Antonio reaches out to wipe them off. “Do you like this place so much that you’re crying?”

I stop walking right in front of the water and narrow my eyes as the morning sun scorches me with its rays. It’s hot, but not hot enough to leave a sunburn. “Yes, I do like this place. It’s just… I’ve missed my sister so much.”

There’s a flicker of sadness in his eyes, but it lasts only a moment before his expression goes cold.

“I need to see my sister,” I say, pushing my luck. This could go awry, but I don’t care. I need Harper. Having her around me is the only way I won’t lose my mind. “I want to meet her just once. I need to talk to her.”

His eyes bore into mine. “And if I refuse?”

“You can’t.” The back of my throat starts to burn, and I sniffle to keep the tears welling in my eyes away. “You don’t understand me because you’ve never had?—”

He raises his hand to stop me. “Don’t say it.”

“You don’t have a family or someone you love more than yourself. You can’t understand how I feel.”

His eyes suddenly grow so cloudy that I take a step back.

I’ve crossed the line. I shouldn’t have said that. “I’m sorry.”

He ignores my apology and remains silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. The tension between us thickens, the breeze suddenly cold enough to make my jaw quiver.

And finally, after what seems like an eternity, he clears his throat. “I, too, had a younger brother. I had parents, and I lovedthem very much. We were happy.” He pauses. “Until that night when they were murdered. Everything changed.”

It’s the first time I’ve heard Antonio sound like he’s in so much pain, and it breaks my heart to hear him sound this way.

“I’m so sorry about that. I mean, how did you survive all on your own?”

“I didn’t,” he answers. “I lived on the street for weeks until Dante found me and took me home. Mariana loved me at first sight, and they both raised me as if I was their son.”

That is why he’s so obsessed with getting justice for Dante. He wasn’t just his mentor; he was his father, too. I wonder what my papa is doing. Can’t he just give Antonio all the details he needs so all of this will come to an end?

“I’m sorry,” I repeat, not knowing what else to say. Nothing I say can make him feel better.

He nods. “So you see, I know the feeling of loving someone. I’ve loved someone dearly, and I do love someone even now.”

My chest constricts. By love, does he mean Mariana, or is there a woman out there with whom he’s in love? I shrug the thought off before it can bloom further. I shouldn’t be thinking about stuff like that.

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