Page 36 of Ruthless God

“It’s time for us to leave,” Massimo said, his eyes on Lina before turning them over to me.

I nodded.

“Of course,” Lina said in that sugary, fake tone of hers. I wondered if anyone could hear that. “I’ll miss you so much, Luna.”

I couldn’t even bring myself to fake the pleasantries with her.

Thankfully, Massimo quickly pulled me out of there and took me to the waiting car. We would be driving separately from his siblings. Elio took the car in front of us, and Matteo, Romeo, and Giulia took the car behind while we had an entourage of men in front and behind the three cars. I thought it might be a bit of a fuss, but I got it. This marriage wouldn’t have made the De Luca Famiglia suddenly trust the family in Chicago. This was nothing more than a tenuous peace treaty, which made my marriage to Massimo seem even more pointless.

I looked out the window as the car drove off. I didn’t turn to see the family I left behind, and I didn’t look forward to this new family I now have.

I was in the midst of strangers, flailing, drowning.

My eyes moved over to Massimo. He was looking down at something on his phone.

My husband was a stranger. And I just wasn’t sure he would be the one to throw me a lifeline.

9

LUNA

We arrived backat Massimo’s house by ourselves.

The door on my side of the car opened, and I couldn’t help but flinch at the man who stood there, frowning down at me as if I were an insignificant bug he could crush if he wanted to. Was it a requirement for all of Massimo’s men to be intimidating?

“I got it, Mattia,” Massimo called from beside me. The man nodded respectfully before he pulled back from the car. I let out a small sigh of relief, which was cut short when Massimo reached over. I backed away slightly, my eyes moving over to him. He didn’t say anything as he unbuckled my belt. I didn’t know why I was acting like this… like I was half expecting him to pounce on me.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you around and introduce you to the staff. Then I have a meeting to get to.”

I blinked. He was leaving?

I supposed that made sense. I nodded as I climbed out of the car from his side. Then he bent down and held out his hand for me. I looked at it, then at his face, before going back to his hand and taking it, letting him pull me out of the car. I pulled up short when I found two lines of people standing by the front. I guessed there were about two handfuls of people in total.

The introduction was all a blur. I remembered Lettie, one of the maids, only because she was looking at Massimo as if he were the world’s greatest feast, and she barely acknowledged my presence. For some reason, I found myself more annoyed over the way she was looking at Massimo than anything else.

There was also Elena, who was the main cook, and Luigi… I wasn’t sure what he did in this household. Probably ran things, I imagined. At least he acknowledged me with a professional smile. Everyone else… their faces and names all blended into one indistinguishable blob.

Massimo showed me around the huge house. It was far larger than Andre’s home, and I wondered why he needed such a large place when he’d obviously lived here alone… until now. Even so, this house was too big for two people.

Seven bedrooms total, seven and a half baths, one huge office that was obviously the place where Massimo spent most of his time when he was home, a closed kitchen, a sitting room that faced the sun in the afternoon, and so many more spaces I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with.

Massimo looked back at me once we left the dining room.

He cupped my cheek, and I stilled, trying not to react, especially when he swiped his thumb under my eyes.

He frowned, and I wondered if he found me lacking somehow.

“You should take a nap.”

“A nap?” I asked. That was the last thing I expected him to say to me.

He nodded, looking very serious. “A nap. There are bags under your eyes. I know traveling can take a lot out of you.”

“It wasn’t a long trip.”

His frown deepened. “And yet you look tired. Don’t argue with me, Luna.”

I didn’t answer him right away. He had been… kind.

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