Page 93 of Betrayed By Sin

“Yes.” I don’t hesitate. “He’ll react. He’ll do something stupid. If he knows I’m alive, he’ll try to bring me back, and right now? That’s the worst thing he could do.”

Bria considers that, then nods slowly. “Okay. Fair point. But what if he finds out anyway?”

I exhale, dragging a hand through my tangled hair. “We won’t keep it secret forever, just long enough for us to get the upper hand.”

Bria smirks. “Look at you. Thinking like a proper mob boss.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m thinking like someone who’s tired of getting played.”

Bria tilts her head. “That’s basically the same thing.”

I shake my head, but a flicker of amusement pulls at my lips. Only Bria could joke at a time like this.

Her expression shifts, more serious now. “Alright, then what about Sin?”

My stomach tightens.

Sin Donati.

“He can’t know either,” I say, forcing my voice to stay even.

Bria lets out a sharp laugh. “Oh, yeah, that’ll go over well. Can’t wait to see his face when he thinks his wife is dead.”

My chest clenches. I picture him now, the way he will unravel from the seams.

But I can’t afford to tell him yet.

Bria watches me carefully. “You sure about that?”

I hesitate. I hate it. Every part of me wants to run straight to him, to tell him I’m here, I’m alive, I’m sorry.

But I can’t.

Not yet.

I nod. “I’m sure. We’re going to have to get on a plane after a few days of lying low, Bria. If we tell them over the phone, we may go back and have no one left. The Caputo’s might kill them all.”

Bria sighs, stretching her arms above her head. “Well, you officially suck at making the men’s lives easier.”

I arch a brow. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Bria grins. “Honestly? It’s kinda hot.”

I groan, shoving her lightly. “Focus.”

She laughs, but then the humor fades as her gaze drifts toward the darkened window. The wind rattles the shutters, sending a fresh wave of unease through me.

Bria leans forward, elbows on her knees. “Let’s get out of here.”

EPILOGUE

The world has changed.

Not in the way it does with the seasons, slipping quietly from summer’s heat to winter’s cold, but in a way that shatters everything and leaves jagged edges behind.

Everything I thought I knew about my family, about Sin, about myself, has burned away.

And now,I know the truth.