My mind was reeling. Never in my life had I felt so alive, so fucking happy. I was so optimistic about the future, I could barf. I never thought this day would come, a day when I would find something worth more than money and power.
My father, my brother, even my mother—they would never be able to understand why I left. But as soon as I looked into those amber eyes which held the power to captivate me with a single glance, there was no chance in hell I would ever doubt my decision.
As I drove out of the driveway of our estate—my home—I glanced in my rearview mirror. It would probably be the last time I would see the place. I was leaving everything behind with nothing but a suitcase and the prospect of living a happy as fuck life with the woman I loved.
I would miss my family—especially Karina. But I had no choice. If I stayed, I would be without Layla. And I knew without her I would have no reason to grab hold of the little good I still had left inside me. God knew I had done my fair share of fucked up things—things I hoped Layla would never find out about. Things that would haunt me for a long time, but as long as I had her, there was no demon strong enough to torture me with the past.
I checked the time on my Audi’s dashboard before speeding up. Just twenty more minutes before our forever started. But I was parked in front of her sister’s house within ten.
Layla’s parents both died two years ago in a car accident—at least that was what she told me. But I had dug a little deeper, pulled some strings, and eventually found out her dad was in prison for theft and money laundering. It was obviously something she kept to herself, and since I had a secret of my own, a secret about my family and my life, I chose not to confront her about it. To leave it be. Everyone had baggage these days. The world we lived in was too fucked up not to leave scars on every damn one of us.
But her mother, on the other hand, did die in a tragic car accident, which was why Layla lived with her older sister.
I got out of the car, my gut filled with nervous excitement. All of this felt so surreal, being able to take my girl and go start a life of our own. Ever since we were little—especially Antonio and I—we were bred to thrive in a world consisting only of power and wealth. Control and supremacy. We were taught to reign and rule, to spill blood to accomplish our goals. For a short while, I thrived learning to rule alongside my brother. I thought it was what I wanted…until she made me realize there was something more powerful than control and ultimate power.
Love. Love was what I needed…with her.
I loved my family…but I loved her more.
As I made my way up the porch, Kate, Layla’s sister, opened the door. But the second I saw her face, her eyes red and cheeks wet, my heart dropped to the soles of my feet.
“Layla?”
“I’m sorry, Dante,” Kate whispered.
“Where is she?”
“Dante—”
“Where the fuck is Layla, Kate?”
Kate dropped her gaze to the ground as she leaned against the doorframe. “I’m sorry, Dante, but Layla isn’t here.” She held out a white envelope. “She asked me to give you this.”
I studied Kate’s face, trying to determine what the fuck was going on. Nothing about that moment made any goddamn sense.
Kate avoided eye contact, her lips were pulled into a straight line, and I knew my world was about to come to a fucking end. My soul was on the verge of being ripped apart.
I ignored the envelope in Kate’s hand. “Where is she?”
“I can’t tell you that, Dante.”
“When did she leave?”
Kate shrugged. “I can’t tell you that either.”
“Why the fuck not?” I stepped closer, the blood in my veins simmering, as hurt and confusion slowly started to crack my chest wide open.
Kate glanced up, then down, and then over my shoulder.
“Kate, will you fucking look at me and tell me what the fuck is going on?”
“I don’t know, okay?” Kate tossed the envelope toward me, and it fell on the ground next to my feet. “All I know is she left, and she asked me to give you the goddamn envelope.”
“What else did she say?”
Kate bit into her bottom lip, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Jesus Christ, Kate!”