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I froze.
Rocco’s hand clasped my face and lifted my chin higher.
I blinked up at him, and his thumbs swiped my tears, his gaze boring in with a savage glint. It was too raw, too intimate.
My skin flushed and I shivered. He pressed his lips to mine, a soft brush like silk and chaste.
I blinked up at him with my lips parted in surprise. It was not the deep passionate kiss that I expected. Then again, we weren’t alone.Or is he upset?
His face was taut, and his eyes were darker as he drew away from me.
My eyes darted wildly, and I bobbed my head and chewed on my lip.What had I expected? Happiness? Love?
I lowered my head.
Then I felt his fingers brush my cheek.
“Mrs. Marini. We have a lot to talk about,” he whispered in an abrupt tone.
A flash of light and the sound of the shutters of a camera crossed my senses.
“Let me take a picture of the lovely couple,” Brenda’s voice sang. I looked over at her, smiling exorbitantly as her camera lifted again.
I plastered on a smile, and Rocco posed next to me along with my grandparents.
For better, for worse.
I’m married.
“Come with me, Adelina,” my grandmother called, gesturing for me to follow her. I looked over at Rocco, seeking his approval even if it made me feel nervous. We all had to catch a flight to New York City for the funeral Mass.
“Fifteen minutes,” Rocco said casually.
Grandmother paused, hand on her hip. “Reginald and I can make sure Adelina gets there in our car, but I bet you’d prefer she rides with you?”
“That’s right,” Rocco replied curtly, his mouth forming a line.
I gave him a nod, but my stomach knotted. Rocco had a right to be upset about being forced, but I was in the dark about the situation. I didn’t even know why he married me when he had a chance not to.
Patricia was already in my bedroom packing the few things I had brought back when we entered it. She handed a tote bagto Zane, who promptly carried it out of the room, and she left with him. I wanted to take a moment to catch my breath, but my grandmother came up to me after closing the bedroom door, noticeably wanting to talk.
She cleared her throat. “This may be the only time we’ll have to talk privately, and I know you have questions.”
I did have questions, but I hadn’t expected her to be willing to answer them. Still, I wouldn’t miss this rare opportunity to get them. “Why did you call Rocco? Did you know he’d marry me today?”
She shook her head no. “I only told him what was about to happen between you and Percy. He’s the one who decided to marry you.”
My brows knitted in confusion. “But why would you do that? Mr. Belfiore will be furious with you. I mean, with all that talk about duty and responsibility, why would you risk it all for a Marini?”
Grandmother hadn’t been keen on me marrying Rocco. She ruined her opportunity to be free from the Marini family altogether.
A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. “I still believe in both. And I know what I did was selfish and impulsive, but I couldn’t allow another weak man to break my blood on my watch.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat, her eyes shimmering. “I…I always regretted what happened to Lorelei. I warned Reginald that we were raising a woman who couldn’t handle the responsibilities in front of her. And she became just as I feared, weak to men and their wicked ways…We adored her, but she chose your father over us.” She blew out her breath and touched her throat.
I grimaced and scoffed. “But why didn’t you do something instead of regretting it? You could have moved her away or something like that?” She had the luxury of hindsight whileJacob and I had lived with a monster. They were rich; surely, they could have done more.
She squinted at me. “You think it’s that easy? When you have children, you’ll realize how little control you have over them. We sent her all over the world, but she kept going back to him. He threatened us, even blackmailed us. We were prisoners of his, too. The last time we tried to get her away from him, she told us if we couldn’t accept her husband, she never wanted to see us again.” Her shoulder shook. “It was hard to give tough love when seeing her broken.”
Her choices had a ripple effect on my and Jacob’s life. Mama chose my father and we suffered for it. However, I could see she was hurting, and I couldn’t leave her to hurt on her own because no matter what happened to me, I loved her for saving me and Jacob.