Page 141 of Mafia King's Secret Baby
“Who you need to be?”
“To protect this family. This empire. I must follow all the possible threads to threats. Including you,” he snarls.
Anger makes my chest feel tight. My tears are hot in my eyes, and my throat works as I try to find the words to express what I’m feeling.
“Protecting your family? Is that what you call it?”
“What would you call it?”
“Being a stubborn asshole!” I shout. I stand and throw off the blanket. “You’re being so stubborn, Elio, you can’t see the forest for the trees.”
“I have a perfectly clear perspective on this, Caterina. Your brothers chose to distract me with you, so that they could work behind my back to dismantle my empire,” Elio growls.
My eyes bulge with shock. “The brothers who spied for you? Who put their lives on the line for you? Who helped you?”
“Marco has done no such thing. Dino has added fuel to the fire against me, and I do not also doubt that he was fanning the flames to begin with.”
“You don’t know that,” I say softly.
“I do not need to. It’s clear to me that their loyalty as De Luca is more important to them. And why wouldn’t it be? I am Elio Rossi. I do not owe allegiance to the De Lucas.”
The words feel like they’re shots in my heart.
“Even me?”
Elio stills. “Caterina. You are a Rossi now. You and Luna…”
“Do not say her name,” I hiss.
Elio blinks.
“Do not bring her into this. You’re making shit up, Elio. You have no idea what’s going on, and because you don’t, you’re just goingoff of what you assume to be correct. I don’t know who is behind all this, but I know it’s not Marco, and it’s not Dino.”
“Then who, Caterina?” he snaps. His voice is laden with sarcasm. “Who is this mystery person that you believe is out to harm me?”
“I don’t know!” I shout. “But if you give me a little longer to think, then maybe I could figure it out!”
“Because you are so skilled?”
Elio has said a lot of terrible things to me today.
This one, however, cuts.
I take a deep breath, trying to fight off tears. I look over at Elio, his face swimming in my gaze.
“How dare you,” I whisper.
Elio stills. “Caterina, I…”
“No, Elio. No,” I mutter.
I toss the blanket down, and he stands. I shake my head at him. “No. Don’t follow me. I need to be alone right now,” I whisper.
I start to walk away, then stop.
I need to ask him something.
Without looking at him, I clear my throat. “You called me your love. Amore mio. That’s what you said,” I say through the tears in my throat.