Page 146 of Mine Again
I rub my face, the weight of it all pressing down on my skull.
“Sebastian Moretti was drowning in debt. Gambling losses. The Russian Mafia was breathing down his neck. My guess? His cousin offered to clear it all… if he managed to marry you.”
I stare at her, and something twists deep in my gut. What a prize Moretti would have won. Even a dumbass like him must have realized it was no hardship to be with Isa.
She’s brilliant. Beautiful. Fierce, funny, and utterly unforgettable.
But he didn’tearnher. He tricked her.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” I bite out. “Why, Isa? Why did you say yes to him? You barely knew him.”
The thought of him touching what’s mine makes my hands curl into fists. I should have ended him myself instead of sending him to the Russians.
He kissed my woman. God help me if I find out he did more than that.
She doesn’t meet my gaze, just fingers the end of her braid.
“Plan NUPTIAL,” she says finally, as if that explains everything. And maybe it does. To her.
“I was determined to have a ring on my finger and a new last name.”
Not following, I just stare at her. So she keeps going.
“I wanted an out, Luca. With Father gone and believing you were dead, I figured it was only a matter of time before someone else tried to take control of my life. Mamma’s new man, or the new Don. He’s ruthless.
“Who’s to say he wouldn’t try to cement his reign by marrying me or Mia off to one of his capos? I was done being a pawn in other people’s plans. So I figured the easiest way out was to marry someone outside our circle.”
“Hence the online dating,” I say, filling in the gap.
Of all the reckless things. I had wondered why she would turn to a site crawling with desperate nobodies and filtered frauds who couldn’t handle a real woman if they tried.
“You knew about that?” she asks, her eyes narrowing.
Is she really surprised? Has she still not grasped the extent of myobsession with her?
“I know everything about your life, Isa,” I say, keeping my voice level. I try not to sound unhinged.
“Except for the last four weeks, when Sebastian made his move,” she says, and I can’t tell if it’s a jab or a tease.
Either way, it grates.
I hate having blind spots. I hate even more that someone slipped through and got that close to her while I was gone.
“And I suppose you were behind my screwed-up online dating profile?” she asks after a beat.
That makes me grin. I couldn’t help myself. It was too easy to twist it so she only attracted losers.
She rubs her chin, lips pushing into a pout.
“And Andrea’s promotion to Milan?”
“Hey, at least I got him a pay raise.”
Her mouth flattens. “I liked him. He was nice. Very normal.”
Is she trying to provoke me?
“He was boring,” I say flatly. “A simple accountant could never have made you happy.”
