Page 77 of Obsession & Oath

“And she does suit this place, doesn’t she?” Evelina continues as if she hadn’t heard me. “She makes you happy?”

“Madre.”

Evelina’s sigh is heavy and ages her immensely. “There is no easy answer, Dante. But I think...I think you already know what you want. And sometimes, the hardest part is allowing yourself to want it.”

I rub my face, exhaustion hitting me harder than I expected. “I don’t know if I can do this, Mother. I don’t know if I can live with the consequences of choosing her.”

“Sometimes, the only way forward is to face the consequences. But the real question is, can you live with yourself if you let her go?”

I close my eyes for a moment, letting the silence settle in. It’s not much, but it’s enough. Enough for me to realize I’m standing at a crossroads and I don’t have a clear path ahead of me.

“She’s strong, clever, and loyal,” Evelina continues. “She could handle this world, this life you’ve built. And I think...I think she would stand by your side, unflinching, no matter what you faced.”

Her words hang in the air, and for a moment, I can’t breathe.

“I will not deny it. I have come to care for her a great deal. She has the qualities of a woman who would make an excellent wife.” My mother gives me a significant look. “And should you choose to stay true to your promises. I would stand by you.”

I know what she’s suggesting, what she’shintingat. I promised that before I returned to Brooklyn, I would make an offer to someone.

My mind goes blank. Because Evelina’s words have reached me in a way I didn’t expect. What she’s saying, what she’s been saying all along, is that Carmencouldbe the one.

CouldIask her to stay? Would that even be possible? If the war ends and we’re both still…if she could still stand the sight of me. Would a promise even be enough? Would she even want to turn her back on her family?

But, fuck. Could I truly look at someone else when it was always supposed to be Carmen?

I love her.

I love Carmen.

The idea of being without her...it’s unfathomable. The thought of a future that doesn’t include her feels like a life half-lived.

I can’t marry anyone else.

NotRina. Not anyone.

Not when I’ve already given my heart to Carmen.

I can’t just stand here and let this slip away. I can’t let her walk out of my life without fighting for her, without showing her that she’s everything to me. Without offering, without hoping, withoutprayingthat a promise…no, aproposalmight be enough.

I nod, the realization settling into me fully.

It’s not just about the Guild, or duty, or legacy anymore. I don’t even know how it could possibly work, but…I have to try.

And I’ll be damned if I let her slip through my fingers.

“Grazie, Mamma,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Her gaze meets mine, a rare tenderness in her expression. “Now, go to her. Tell her?—”

The phone rings, harsh and sudden.

A death toll. I can feel it before I even put the phone to my ear.

“Dante, it’s time,” Rocco says without preamble.

And suddenly, the world seems to open up beneath my feet. And I’m falling. Falling and falling in the absolute wrong direction.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not so soon. Not when…fuck. No. Wait. No.

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