Page 44 of Mafia Kings & Wedding Rings 2: The Finale
I relieved myself, washed my hands, and checked my appearance in the mirror before cracking the door open to leave.I didn’t fully emerge because the sound of Jordan and Ivo’s raised whispers stopped me. Deciding I didn’t want to interrupt, I remained in the bathroom eavesdropping. It was one thing to have an affair with him, but it was another to be a fly on the wall in conversations with his wife. The way Ivo interacted with Jordan was in no way the same as how he handled me.
“The fuck are you talking about, Jay! I buy property and shit all the time. It’s a fucking investment! The fuck you snooping around my shit for anyway!”
“Because I know you, Ivo. I know you better than you fucking think, and you are lying or hiding something.” Jordan stood facing him with her arms tucked across her chest. “You purchased a condo and not one but two vehicles. So where the fuck are they? I want to know.”
Immediately, my heart tanked. Oh shit!
“None of your fucking business, aight? How about you worry about fixing up the nursery and leave all the other shit to me.”
Both of Jordan’s eyes lowered into tiny slits, suspicion creeping behind her gaze as it swept over him.
“You’re awfully protective and defensive, especially when it comes to Emerald,” she observed.
“The fuck you talking about? You think that shit was right what Rossi did in there?”
“I think your mother has valid concerns. Now so do I, but we’ve come this far, can’t really go back. I don’t want to start over with someone else. We chose Emerald, so we’re going to use her for what she’s good for, then send her on her fucking way. I don’t want you talking to her or being around her unless I’m also present.”
“You’re fucking losing it!” Ivo scoffed and shook his head.
“I don’t think I am.” Jordan was calm, a little too calm as the crazy sparked behind her eyes. “My gut has been screaming at me that something wasn’t right, and now I know it ain’t. I don’tcare what you say. Do you know everything I’ve gone through to make sure that we ended up together? Do you even care?”
“Everything like what, Jay, hmm? The fuck have you gone through?”
“I’ve loved you for a long time, Ivo. Longer than you even know. I sat back and let you have your little sneaky links with Emerald. I knew all about your special spot at the creek before you even took me there. I knew it meant something to you and her. I also knew that I could make you resent her when she left. She would write me and send letters to you too. She didn’t want to send them to your house because she was afraid Rossi would never give them to you. I had no intention of ever letting you see them either,” Jordan simpered and lowered her arms at her side.
A low gasp slipped through my lips. Ivo was floored. For a moment, he just stared into Jordan’s face like she was a stranger before tilting his head.
“You did that? You kept that from me all these years?”
“Of course I did! She was in the fucking way! You were still pining over her even though she’d already left. You think I was going to let her suck you back in with a few love letters? Fuck that! I put in the work, I got you to fall for me, and I wasn’t going to let Emerald fuck that up!”
Wow! Talk about a fake bitch. I had been bamboozled. All this time, I’d been sitting here feeling guilty for this bitch for what was going on behind her back, when she had been lying and manipulating longer than any of us knew. I did write Ivo when I first left, but like Jordan said, I sent the letters to her. When she would write me back, it would be all about Ivo to the point where I was sharing information, apparently a little too much. She’d been using that against me this entire time. When he never responded, I just stopped writing altogether. Swiping his beard, Ivo shook his head and brought his face closer to Jordan’s. She didn’t cower as their eyes synced.
“She never loved you, Ivo! If she did, she wouldn’t have allowed anybody to dictate that for her. Not even her daddy!”
“I can’t even look at you right now.” He waved a hand in front of her and turned to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Jordan grabbed his arm, and he snatched away from her.
“Leave me the fuck alone right now, Jay!”
She stood there a minute alone, and I didn’t want to step out to give any kind of indicator that I’d been listening. There was too much emotional baggage tied to this entire situation. I couldn’t think straight, and all I wanted to do was get the hell out of this house. By the time I got back to the table, Sapphire was leaning back in his chair, talking basketball stats with Staten.
“You ready to go?”
“Yeah.” My baby brother nodded. “You good?”
“I will be as soon as we get out of here,” I grumbled, grabbing my purse off the back of the chair I’d been sitting in.
Cambrie mouthed ‘call me,’ and I nodded before turning to Ivo’s grandmother. I had no problems with Marcella. She damn sure seemed a lot more open minded than Rossi.
“Thank you all for having us. Have a good night.” I waved to everyone else, and my brother did the same.
Together we strolled to the front of the house as Jordan emerged from the living room with a freshly poured glass of wine. Irritation was etched all in her face and I knew exactly why but I wasn’t going to let her know it.
“You’re leaving?”
“I think it’s for the best.” I dug around my purse until I came across the fob for the SUV.
