– Chapter 8 My father’s embrace was warm. As warm as it was when | had nightmares as a child. | sobbed my heart out. All the pain, all the betrayal, it all came pouring out. “I’m not getting married,” | cried. “| don’t want any of it.” “Okay,” my father said, stroking my hair. “Whatever you want.” He didn’t ask why. He didn’t blame me for being impulsive. He just held me tight. “Take her home,” he told the bodyguards. They helped me into the Rolls-Royce. My father sat beside me. The car pulled away from that nightmarish place. At home, my mother was waiting.
—- When she saw the state | was in, she didn’t ask a single question. She just hugged me and let me cry on her shoulder. “Mom’s here,” she said softly. “Everything’s going to be okay.” Three hours later, the lawyer arrived with a stack of documents. “All the gifts from Mr. Carbone have been cataloged,” the lawyer reported. “Jewelry, properties, stocks. All ready to be returned.” “Good,” my father nodded. “Send them to the Carbone family immediately.” “There’s a problem, sir,” the lawyer hesitated. “The Carbones…
they’re refusing the annulment.” “What?” “Their message was clear: The wedding goes on as planned, or it’s war.” My father’s face darkened. “Are they threatening me?” —- “Luciano Carbone called personally. He said Catherine is his, and that no one takes what’s his. He’ll have her, in this life or the next.” My stomach turned. Even now, he was trying to control me. “Tell them,” my father’s voice was pure ice, “the Sterlings don’t scare easy.” After the lawyer left, it was just the three of us in the living room. “Catherine,” my mother said, sitting beside me.
” Whatever you want to say, I’m listening.” | looked at the two people who loved me most in the world. For me, they were willing to go to war with the entire mafia. “Mom, why do people betray each other?” My mother was silent for a moment. “Sometimes it’s because of desire. Sometimes it’s fear,” she said softly. “But most of the time, it’s —- because of jealousy.” “Jealousy?” “Jealousy of what others have. Jealousy of their happiness.” My mother took my hand. “Baby, it wasn’t just Luciano, was it?” The tears started again. “Maya,” my voice broke. “My best friend.” My mother nodded. “!
thought so.” “| don’t understand,” | looked at her. “Mom, what did | do wrong? | was so good to her. Why does she hate me?” “You did nothing wrong,” my father said gently. ” Kindness is not a sin.” “But why her?” My voice trembled. “Luciano betraying me, | can almost understand. Men can be bastards. But Maya… she was my sister.” “Because when you shine so bright, honey,” my mother said, stroking my cheek, “it forces them to see the shadows in themselves. And some people hate the light for showing them their own darkness.” —- | leaned against my mother’s shoulder.
Outside, New York was still bright and bustling. But my world was in ruins. Luciano’s POV A week later, | was standing in an empty St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Today, this place was supposed to be filled with guests. Flowers, music, laughter. Catherine was supposed to be walking down that aisle toward me, a vision in white. We were supposed to say our vows. She was supposed to become my woman, forever. But now, it was just me. Sitting in the front pew, staring at an empty altar. Everything had spiraled out of control. | didn’t understand how it came to this.
| gave Catherine the best of everything. The ring, the mansion, the status. Everything good | could think of. —- | thought she’d be happy with that. Maya was just an accident. A way to blow off steam. Any other woman in this life would have understood. It’s part of the deal. The rules of the game. But she didn’t get it. She acted like a spoiled child and destroyed everything we had. No matter what | tried these past few days, she ignored me. She threw away our past and was trying to disappear from my world forever… Footsteps echoed in the empty cathedral.
A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. Catherine? Did she come back? | turned around. My hope died. It was Maya, walking toward me in a tight black dress. Still sexy, still wild, still tempting. The complete opposite of Catherine’s purity. She sat down next to me. “You look miserable.” —- “Shut up.” “Luciano,” her voice was soft. “It’s over. Why are you still obsessed with a woman who doesn’t understand you?” | didn’t answer. Maya’s hand reached out, caressing my cheek. “Even without your saint,” she whispered, her lips close to my ear, “you still have me, your sinner.
We still have each other, don’t we?”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
