Page 174 of Vita Mia

“Therapy?” Catalina laughed. “Therapy doesn’t cure them.”

“Maybe it wasn’t a cure Catalina. Maybe therapy helped him become who he really is. No more hiding from himself. Maybe he’s embracing this, being Don of Palermo. Being the one in charge. Being like his brothers.”

“Did he love her?”

“The doctor?” Mirabella laughed. “No. Well. Wait. I don’t think so. He doesn’t talk to me.”

“Can you ask Nico. Men talk. I heard him on the phone with her. A few times. They sound close to me. Can you find out if he has feelings for her?”

“I doubt it.”

“Please Mira. I want him back. Like you said, when things got crazy, I gave into it. I like the old Domi, and I love the new Domi. I’m just scared that the more he becomes different he won’t love me the same.”

“That obsession he has for you made him kill Franco. It made him take Armando’s son as his own and kill the Armenians that were trying to hurt you. It’ll only get stronger. You have to decide if you really want this life for you and your son. The risks and heartbreak become even stronger when you have children. Domi is not your prince from a fairytale. Think of our mother’s. What it cost them.”

“You’re not going to leave Giovanni. You already said it.”

“I’ve done too much to wash my hands clean of my sins. He’s mine. The Générale can’t have him. Camorra can’t have him. He’s mine. Forever. But make no mistake, I know I am going to pay a price for this. I know what my future may become.”

Catalina nodded. “Then I know what to do.”

“What is that?”

Catalina stood and tossed her hair. “Domi’s mine. Fuck that doctor. I know a way to make sure he stays mine forever.”

“How?” Mirabella repeated.

“When Giovanni found you, he might have done the very worst and killed you and Kei both for you leaving him and breaking his heart. You know why he didn’t?”

Mirabella blinked.

“Eve. And every time you give him a child your bond grows stronger. Domi needs his own family. He needs me. I’m going to give him a son.”

Catalina turned and walked away. Mirabella frowned. Catalina hadn’t heard a word she said. Or maybe she had and just didn’t care. Either way, it seemed to Mirabella that the women in the family had to be stronger, if not for themselves, but for their daughters. She had to be stronger.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

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