Page 95 of Wrathful King
“I’ll tell you after we get that,” I told her. There, through the shop window, was a yin-yang charm.
She let out a soft groan. “You can’t buy me everything I look at.”
I grinned. “Yes, I can.”
“You know, I have my own money too. And now that I’m married, I have access to all of it and can buy stuff for myself.”
“Spend my money, leave your money for our kids.” I nudged her into the jewelry store, signaling the salesman for the piece we wanted. “Besides, I like seeing you marked by me.”
Her hand flew to her neck where I left a bruising mark last night. She flushed so beautifully that my dick instantly responded. Nothing like going from furious to aroused. Snaking my hand around her waist, I pulled her closer to me and nipped her earlobe.
“Your blushing makes me so hard.”
Her cheeks turned crimson and she lightly punched my shoulder. “Stop it.”
Ten minutes later, we were out of the jewelry shop with a new charm on Reina’s bracelet.
“Don’t think I forgot about it,” she said the moment the store door closed behind us, her pink flats silent against the Istrian decorative stone. The streets of Venice were always filled with mystery. The city even gave the impression of floating on water, inviting tourists from all around the world to admire the impossible for centuries.
The note from my grandfather was another one of those impossibilities.
“Tell me what it says,” she pleaded. “I want to help you.”
My chest tightened. I didn’t know why in the fuck I was shocked. I’d been sure of their betrayal. All the evidence pointed to it.
“It states that if my mother marries a Japanese man, he would be eligible to become the head of the Yakuza, but only if the Takahashi line doesn’t have an heir. That means that my right-hand man and my mother set us up. They almost cost you your life.”
“Don’t discount your life,” she murmured pensively, eyes narrowed. “And your cousin? How did he play into it?”
“Itsuki was probably too dumb to realize he was being used. Or maybe too desperate.” He was never bright. “It doesn’t matter. He’s dead and will never be a threat to you or anyone else again.”
“Hmmm.” Her footsteps halted and she turned to face me. “Then why hasn’t Hiroshi married her already?” She tilted her head. “Unless he has and that’s the reason for the attack.”
I finally saw where she was going with it. “Hiroshi doesn’t know that your papà and my mother are legally still married.” My brows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t she tell him?”
After all, it was my mother who ensured that annulment never went through.
I pulled out my phone and shot a message to Illias Konstantin. He’d be able to get an answer quickly.
She wrapped her hands around my waist. “Don’t crucify her just yet. I don’t like your mother and I’ll never forgive her for hurting my family, but she valuesyoutoo much to harm your status. She only hates me, Mamma, and my family. Not you.” It was my turn to be confused. “I remembered something that happened right before Mamma killed herself.”
“What was that?” I said, my heart pounding all of a sudden.
“Mamma, Phoenix, and I were shopping and your mother showed up. She told Mamma both her daughters are illegitimate bastards and we’d be in danger one day.” She pressed her face into my chest, a shiver rolling down her spine. “I still don’t understand how I could’ve forgotten something so important. It all came back to me when I was… taken.”Who in the fuck is my mother?I wondered if everything I thought I knew about her was a lie. She had done so many wrongs. “My mamma killed herself that night.”
I hugged her tight, offering comfort that wouldn’t be necessary if my mother had been a decent person. So not only did she put a hit on Romero’s attorney, but she also drove Reina’s mother to suicide.
“I’m so sorry, cinnamon girl. About so fucking much.” No wonder she battled panic attacks, and that was before all the shit with Cortes. “Your subconscious probably forced you to forget.” I cupped her cheeks and brought my forehead down to hers. “I promise she won’t get away with it.”
She loosed a heavy sigh. “I didn’t tell you this to punish her. Just hear her out, okay? I don’t want you to live out the rest of your life with regret. She is your mother, and I think she loves you. If Papà’s convinced that she’d protect you with her life, there has to be more to it.”
She inhaled a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Just the way Dr. Freud taught her.
“How are you so calm?” I questioned, eyeing her with worry.
“All my conversations with the doctor helped, despite my initial resistance. Years of therapy and yoga didn’t scratch the surface on the methods that Dr. Freud used. Or maybe it’s all a process of moving on.” She took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly again. “Hana’s name still causes havoc in my chest, but I also recognize that I cannot give her more power. Like Dr. Freud said, I have two choices. I can move on and hold all the power, or dwell on the past, letting Hana and ghosts keep their grip on me.” Then she smiled shyly, her cheeks turning rosy. “Plus it helps that I'm happy and the honeymoon has been amazing.”
“My smart, beautiful, far-too-kind wife.”
