The usual SUV Mateo drove was in the driveway, so I slid in. Noemi followed me, and then Sofia. We all stayed silent as Mateo and Christian got in the car and drove away from the mansion. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but as long as there was alcohol and music, I didn’t care.
I wasn’t sure how long we all sat in the back of the SUV, squeezed together like sardines, but I found myself blurting out, “I slept with him.” My hand slammed over my mouth, my eyes widening to the size of saucers. Crap. Why did I say that in front of everyone?
“You…what?” Noemi’s hand gripped my knee, her nails digging into me. “You slept with who?”
“Lorenzo,” I whispered, letting my head drop back. Now that it was out there for everyone to know, I felt a sense of relief. “I slept with him, and now I hate myself.”
Noemi laughed, unable to contain herself. “You hate yourself because you slept with your husband?” She slapped my leg and turned back to face the front. “You, little sister, are insane.”
“I’m not!” I threw my hands up in the air, narrowly missing Sofia’s face. “You don’t get it. He’s…he’s…”
“An asshole?” Sofia supplied.
“Yes!” I pointed at her. “That.”
“An asshole you slept with,” Noemi quipped.
“I’m not the only one he’s slept with,” I ground out, staring at the back of Christian's and Mateo’s heads. They knew exactly what would have taken place behind my back. They knew everything that went on around Lorenzo. “He fucked that woman who redid his office.” I waited, seeing if either of them would say anything, but they didn’t.
“Veev,” Sofia groaned out. “Her name is Veev.”
I curled my lip up at the name. What kind of person was called Veev anyway? “Veev,” I said, seeing how the name sounded on my lips. “Yeah. I hate her too.”
“You hate a lot of people,” Noemi said.
“And?” I pursed my lips at her. “If I want to hate on people, I can, okay?”
She held her hands up in the air, surrendering. “Okay. Jeez. I can see why you wanted to get drunk.”
I moaned. “I need to get so drunk that I forget my name.”
“I’m down for that,” Sofia sang, reaching for my hand. Her lips pulled up into a small smile, understanding shining in her eyes. She’d been part of this family from the moment she was born, which meant she knew the men inside it better than anyone. “And if that doesn’t work, we can TP Veev’s house.”
I laughed, trying to keep the burning tears at bay. Tonight wasn’t about anything other than spending time with my sister and drinking as much alcohol as possible, but somehow, I’d managed to gain another ally—an ally I hadn’t seen coming. I hadn’t even tried to get to know Sofia. I’d been so trapped inside my own head and what was happening with Lorenzo, that
I’d forgotten about the other people in the house.
So as Sofia stared at me and we pulled up to the club, I promised myself that I’d get to know her. I’d stop being so consumed by Lorenzo and start living my life, whether he liked it or not.
LORENZO
I stared at the screen of my laptop, trying to make sense of the numbers on the spreadsheet, but my focus wasn’t there. Every time I tried to do some work, all I could think about was a certain curvy, dark-haired woman who had flipped everything on its head.
Fuck.
I hated how she’d wormed her way inside. Hated how every time I heard her laugh, I wished it was me who had caused her to have that reaction. Despised how I looked forward to dinner so I could sit next to her.
Why? Why couldn’t she have been a one-time thing that I could have gotten over right away? Why did she have to drive me nuts but also make everything so clear?
I let out a frustrated breath and slammed my laptop closed. There was no use in me even trying to work because nothing was going in. Nothing was making sense anymore. And it was all because of her. Aida. Fuckin’ Aida.
Pulling out my cell, I checked if she’d replied to my message this morning. She hadn’t. She was ignoring me, but politely, which was even worse. I wanted her to shout at me, to call me an asshole, to tell me she hated me, but the pleasant silence was killing me. Every time I saw her, I wanted to shake her. I wanted to touch her. I wanted to fuckin’ kiss her again.
I slammed my hand down on my desk, growling. It wasn’t meant to be like this. She was meant to be my wife for show. She was supposed to go to college, live her own life, and not make an inch of difference to me. So how the hell had she managed to get under my skin so quickly? It had been six weeks since I’d put the ring on her finger, but it felt like I’d known her my entire life.
Soft laughter floated through the house, footsteps ricocheted across the foyer, and I leaped up, not wanting to miss her again. It had been three days since she’d gone out with her sister and mine, and since then, I’d been coming up with a plan, one where she wouldn’t shut me down and shut me out.
I halted at my office door, catching sight of Aida’s smiling face as she talked animatedly to Sofia. I couldn’t help but like the fact they got along so well. Sofia had always been a loner, trying to find her way through life and the people who had exploited her to get close to the family. Time and time again, her friends had used her to get to Dante or me.