Page 139 of Bride By Initiation

I freeze as goose bumps raise along my skin.

She stares at me, then lowers her voice, insisting, "He wasn't like the other Abruzzos."

My insides quiver. The war between the Marinos and the Abruzzos has caused an incalculable amount of bloodshed. It's why it didn't make sense when my father was in those photos, looking happy with them. But there has to be more to the story, and maybe I should give Valentina the benefit of the doubt.

She adds, "I know this is hard to accept."

"It is, but my father looked like he was friends with them," I acknowledge, still confused.

"Yes, he looked like he was, but he wasn't," she claims.

"I don't understand."

She puts the puzzle pieces together for me, declaring, "That baby is me. I knew your father well as a little girl. But he didn't trust my father. He tried to get my mother to leave him, but she never would. My father was a good man."

"Then why did my dad want her to leave him?" I question.

"He was an Abruzzo. And your father refused to believe any of them could be good," she says, pain lacing her tone, then she tears up, adding, "My mother and I loved your father. But we also loved my father. He loved us. And your father was living a lie."

I defensively snap, "Meaning?"

"He was a spy sent to the Abruzzo clan so the Marinos could get intel on them."

"My father isn't a traitor," I seethe.

"He was in the Abruzzo's eyes," she states.

My stomach quivers. I stare at her, wanting to defend my father but needing to process what she's told me. The more I think about it, the more questions build within me.

She adds, "I never knew the truth until I joined The Underworld. I only knew your father was in my life and then suddenly he wasn't. None of them were for very long, though."

I furrow my brow. "What do you mean?"

She takes a deep breath. "As I stated, my father wasn't the typical Abruzzo. He knew your father was a traitor to the Abruzzo family, but instead of turning him in, he took my mother and me to Italy. Wedisappeared into the rural countryside. He made my mother promise never to contact your father again. In return, he only had interactions in The Underworld. He never got involved in Abruzzo business again unless the Omni ordered him to do so."

I gape at her, taking all of it in.

She stays quiet for a moment, watching me for my reaction, then says, "My father joined The Underworld because he believed in Sean O'Malley Sr.'s vision. He wanted peace between the families. He wanted me to not be scared to be an AbruzzoorMarino."

"Is that why Sean's father started The Underworld?"

"Yes. Hasn't your hubby told you everything he knows?" she questions.

An uneasiness fills me. "No," I admit, wondering why.

"I'm sure he would have eventually," she adds.

I shrug off the nagging feeling in my gut, then suggest, "Maybe we can talk to my father. Get him and your mom together again?—"

"She's dead. So is my father," Valentina interjects.

I inhale sharply.

She swallows hard. "It's okay. They died together in a plane crash."

My heart hurts for her. I grab her arm. "Valentina, I'm so sorry."

She forces a smile. "It is what it is. But my father had a seat at the table. So did my mother."

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