Page 65 of Forsaken Promises

It wasn't easy. Goddamn, was itnoteasy.

Sofia, for all her warmth and vivacity, was guarded and cautious. As a Mob daughter, she’d seen too much to trust easily or give her love freely.

But I was patient. I was persistent. It also helped that our fathers were allies and friendly with each other. I always made sure to accompany my father to the Marino house just so I could catch a glimpse of the beautiful Sofia.

I wooed her with flowers and my charm, with stolen moments and secret kisses under the stars. I showed her the man I wanted to be, the partner I knew I could become, if only she would give me the chance.

And slowly, day by day… she did. She opened up to me, let me into the hidden places of her heart and her soul. She shared her dreams and her fears, her hopes and her sorrows.

And then I left her, crushed her feelings into a million pieces with the heel of my shoe.

I thought I could live without her, and for a time, I did. I went through the motions of life without any real purpose. I tried to forget about her, tried to forget those deep blue eyes, that melodic laughter, that beautiful smile.

It wasn’t until she came back into my world, until I saw the fire still burning in those blue eyes… that I realized just how deeply I’d missed her, how much I needed her like I needed air to breathe.

And now, with every fight and every bitter word exchanged between us… I feel that same emptiness creeping back in, that same sense of desolation and despair.

I can’t lose her again. I can’t go back to that hollow, joyless existence, that pale imitation of a life that I once thought was enough.

But even if I do, it’s still all my fault.

Regret rises in me for the choices I made, the mistakes that led me to this moment. I never should have let her go, never should have walked away from the best thing that ever happened to me, the one person who saw past the mask I wore and loved me forme.

But I was young and stupid then. I didn’t want the pressures that come with taking over my father’s empire—let alone marrying the oldest daughter of the most powerful Don around.

I wanted to get out of town, see the world, and Sofia wasn’t part of that plan.

So I broke her heart, told her that she was foolish for ever believing I would marry her.

I’ll never forget the look of betrayal on her face. Of hurt. I was convinced that Sofia would tell her father about what I did out of revenge and he would come after me, guns blazing.

But she didn’t. She never said anything to her parents. She just kept that hurt in her heart for four years.

Honestly, I wish she had sicced her father on me. It would have hurt less than seeing the pain in her eyes, the way she flinches away from me.

I want to go after her, want to chase her down and beg her to forgive me, to give me another chance to prove that I’m not the same selfish, careless boy who broke her heart all those years ago.

But something holds me back. Something whispers in the back of my mind that she needs space, needs time to breathe and process and find her way back to center.

Sofia has always been like that, has always needed the anchor of her family, the unwavering love and support of the people who know her best, to keep her grounded. Especially with her father’s illness.

And right now, I know that’s where she’ll go, back to the arms of the family who will always be her safe haven.

As much as it kills me to let her walk away, as much as every fiber of my being screams at me to go after her… I know that I have to trust her. I have to believe that she’ll find her way back to me.

With that thought, I quickly dress and head downstairs to my father’s office. I never told him about how my assignment went, and my father will expect a debrief as soon as possible.

“Gaspare has been taken care of,” I say, my voice steady and flat. “He won’t be a problem anymore.”

My father nods. “And what was done with the body?”

I look at my father. “What body?”

My father nods, a rare smile of approval curving his lips. “Well done, Dominico. You’re finally taking your place as the future of this Family.”

I feel bile rise in my throat, the bitter taste of shame and disgust coating my tongue. But I force it down, force myself to meet my father’s gaze with a cool mask of my own. “I’m at your disposal, Father. Always.”

The words feel like poison, but I say them anyway, because that’s what’s expected of me. That’s the price I have to pay for the power and the privilege of being a Sicura heir.

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