Page 68 of The Billionaire's Vow

“Good. The chef prepared this dish, especially for you, and it would be a travesty for it to go to waste.”

I tried and failed to stop the rush of excitement from coursing through me. “Oh. What dish?”

“Tagliatelle Funghi Porcini e Tartufo,” she trilled in Italian.

Tagliatelle Funghi Porcini e Tartufowas a mushroom pasta dish that had been one of my favorites in Florence. Of course, Rocco knew it. He had the chef make it a few times, and I always finished two plates.

I got up, washed my face, and changed into a button-down shirt and trousers. It wasn’t my most attractive outfit, but I went to dinner downstairs. At the bottom, the air was rich with the aroma of the sauce, and my mouth watered.

I walked into the room, and Rocco was seated at the head of the table. My place had been set for me next to him. He rose and moved to hold out my seat gentlemanly before I could stop him. “Must we do that at home?”

“Politeness should never be only on occasion,” he quipped. His eyes were bloodshot, and my heart contracted.

“Did…did something else happen?” I asked, gentling my tone. Even if I was upset at him and Luca, I couldn’t be cruel to him when he was hurting.

“Mom sent me a video of Luca and me together, which she found on his phone,” he confessed, his head bowed. “But I know you don’t want to hear about it.”

“No, I don’t, but I understand,” I murmured. We were all still in shock and mourning.I loved him, too. Truly.

“I hate what he did. He was a fool and even admitted as much, but after meeting you, he changed.”

“Did he?” I mocked. The Luca I thought I knew was warm and friendly. He would’ve never let my father hurt me.That wasn’t him.

Rocco recoiled, and I knew I was being unfair to him.

“I…I want to understand what really made him change?” my voice caught.

Rocco paused to think, then said, “Once he realized how his revenge reached well beyond where he intended, he hated himself. He changed…He supported domestic violence shelters and donated college scholarships to single moms to help them afford to stay gone. He became a better man, and he said it was because of you…I pressed him about not helping sooner, but he said he hadn’t known about the violence.”

I didn’t quite believe Mr. Marini’s explanation. A man who devoted years to his revenge would’ve at least heard from someone about Mama, Jacob, and me. However, we mainly suffered in silence.

“Honestly, I didn’t know. Or I’d have killed your father. I would have protected you,” Rocco snarled and slammed his fist on the table. “Damn it, I may still do it. How could he not know?”

How?He had the same reservations. My mind offered up an explanation. I didn’t make close friends or tell anyone about the violence in our home.When Judge Colby hurt us, I called outsick from school and work. Mama covered up her bruises with makeup.If someone suspected, we moved.I moved fifteen times growing up with them. Yet, there were times when Mama had us escape to domestic violence shelters. That was how we lost Jacob. Social Services intervened. That was why we used fake names from then on, never staying long enough for them to take over our lives.

In the final year, everything got worse with my father. His addiction had him more than ever before. He used it in front of us. He sold Mama, but she somehow avoided being charged with prostitution. However, the police arrested him for forcible pandering for arranging sex to sell online, and even that charge somehow disappeared. “I…I only told my therapist about my father sexualizing me or trying to sell me a few years ago. How did Luca know about selling me?”

Rocco hesitated, his face narrowing. “Damn it; I could kill Eric Colby; I still may do it.”

I glanced at him, and he was serious. “You won’t. What did Luca do?”

“He said he sent an encrypted email as part of the sting to put Eric Colby away forever, but it went nowhere. Your father has powerful friends, even more powerful than my grandfather.”

My heart ached to hear Rocco’s remorse, but he shouldn’t have to carry it either. I was a kid, and no one told me. They were so sure I’d forget, but I never did.

“I’m fine. It’s been over a long time,” I rambled out quickly.

“It’s far from fine. Just because it’s over doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt. I hate them all. I wish I’d been there to help you.”He reached for my hand, and I moved it out of his reach. He froze and dipped his head, retreating to that place I’d seen him go away to in public. I didn’t want to treat him like that. He didn’t do this to me.But he kept Luca’s secret.So had my family. They chose money and status.

I hunched my shoulders. “Why did you wait to tell me, Rocco?”

“Because even I couldn’t bear to lose the unguarded Adelina. The one that lights a room when she is surprised or happy and cuddles into me when unsure. The one that freely expressed love for your brother. I felt that. I want that…And God, your passion. I love that no matter how often I reach for you at night, you’re ready to give me everything I need. So many things, Bella.”

“Rocco….” I said his name, my voice scratchy. I pressed my hand on my chest to try to stop the hammering beats against my ribcage.

“That day I picked you up, I forgot everything I knew when you walked down those stairs. You were so radiant, breathtakingly beautiful, but infuriatingly unaware of it. When you reached for me in Italy in the car and asked me to take you to my bed, I can’t remember a day in my life when I have been happier and more terrified.”

Rocco being scared of anything was hard to believe. He’d been so dominant and confident when he took my virginity. So, I asked, “Why?”

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