Page 33 of Blood and Penance (The Puglisi Crime Family #1)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Phoenix

Six months later…

Standing in front of the mirror, I look at myself for what seems like the millionth time. I can’t believe this day has finally come. I’m getting married to Gianni Puglisi.

Hugging my body from bust to knee and flaring into a train of lace, the black mermaid wedding gown had been custom made just for me which made it even more special.

I chose black because I want to break from tradition. And this time is very different from my first wedding.

What Lio and I shared wasn’t a marriage. I was lonely and furious. Looking back on things, Lio didn’t love me. He loved control. He loved the idea of having a woman on his arm, but an actual wife wasn’t in the cards for him because he didn’t love me. He loved the idea of me.

I know I didn’t love him. I might have cared for him at one time, but love? No. So, while this will be my second time walking down the aisle, this is the only marriage I will ever acknowledge.

When I was younger, I dreamed of the day I would marry Gianni Puglisi, then shit happened, and I thought it was over for us. Now that we have found our way back to each other, it seems more like a dream. Like a mirage that will disappear any minute now.

We fell in love with Santorini and wanted to live the rest of our lives on the Greek island. It’s a new start for both of us. After everything that went down me, Gianni, and Giancarlo needed a fresh start. This place has become so special to us, so we wanted to get married here.

A sharp knock startles me, and before I can even react, the door swings open. When Seraphina steps through the threshold anger as well as heartache is all I can feel.

I face my sister whom I haven’t talked to in months. “What are you doing here?”

I don’t try to hide my anger from her. She thinks I’m pissed because she had been seeing Sergio behind my back.

I won’t lie, hiding that from me was disappointing and hurtful.

However, what pisses me off is she trusted a snake, and it almost got my son killed.

No one was supposed to know where we were living, and I trusted her to keep that information a secret.

“You’re my sister. I wouldn’t miss your big day.”

“I don’t want you here.”

She sighs and shuts the door behind her. “I understand why you’re mad at me, Phee. But I trusted him. I didn’t think he would do anything to hurt Giancarlo or me.”

“And that’s the problem! You almost died, Sera! Giancarlo was kidnapped because you trusted him!”

She closes her eyes, then opens them and a tear slips down her cheek.

“I’ve loved him for a long time, Phoenix. The man I thought he was, he isn’t. And I’m sorry Giancarlo got caught in the middle of that. But I didn’t mean any harm. I would never put him in danger, and you know that.”

I know she wouldn’t put Giancarlo or her life in danger on purpose, but she did.

Her heart ached, knowing the man she loved isn’t the man she believed him to be, yet the weight of her actions is hard for me to forgive and forget.

My son and her life had been put in danger because of her stupid decisions.

“I can’t do this right now, Sera. I’m getting married.”

“Well, can we at least agree to talk about it after you come back from your honeymoon?” she asks. “I want to get things straight between us. You and Giancarlo are all I have left.”

“Are you still seeing, Sergio?”

Her answer will decide whether I’ll try to have this conversation with her when I come back from my honeymoon. If she’s still seeing him, there will be no way we can get past this.

“No.”

The tremor in her voice is a clear sign his actions caused her pain.

“You still love him, don’t you?”

“Does it matter?” she asks. “Whatever we have is over. We can’t come back from this.”

I don’t want to make her feel any worse than she already does. While I’m pissed, she’s my sister and I still love her. She made a mistake. Hopefully, what she’s saying is the truth and her relationship with Sergio is over.

I blow out and breath. “We’ll figure shit out.”

She smiles, and nods. “Do you need any help?” she asks, and I hear the hope in her voice.

“No, but maybe you can walk me out.”

“I can do that. I want you to know how much I love you, Phee. And I’m so happy you and Gianni found your way back to each other.”

I pull her into my arms. “I love you, too and I’m beyond happy you’re here.”

She tightens her arms around me. No matter how much I hate what she’s done, Seraphina is the only family that I have, and I love her. I want what’s best for her. We need to work through our issues but she’s my sister. And will always be in my life.

When she pulls away, she laughs. “We better get you out there before Gianni believes you’ve changed your mind.”

“I could never,” I say, laughing.

“That’s what I told him.”

“Thanks for being here, Phee.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”