Page 66 of Broken Mafia Prince (His to Break #1)

GIULIA

“ W ill this war ever come to an end?” I say as soon as my cousin picks up the phone.

“Not even a hey or hello,” she sighs. “What has Enrico done this time around?”

The real question should be what has he not done.

It’s been five days since the incident at the docks.

We’ve had to lay low while the FBI investigates the shootings that happened.

Two of the agents have been coming in and out of the house, and while I was at the mall the other day, I spied their car just coincidentally strolling past.

I don’t know if they thought they were being so slick, but they weren’t fooling anybody, least of all me.

We’ve all been questioned repeatedly and have had to lie low.

Unfortunately, Papa’s patience was already thin to begin with, and staying in and doing nothing after the arrival of the biggest shipment of our lives is eating at him.

I know any moment, he’ll do something stupid, like resume offloading of the shipment.

He’s full of restless energy and has been lashing out at everybody. I’ve done my best to avoid him since our last confrontation, and while that should be easy in a house this size, it’s turning out to be quite a bit of work.

“He’s everywhere.” I sigh.

“I don’t know what that means,” she drawls. “You know what? Just stay put, I’ll be there in a second.”

“Hurry,” I tell her before hanging up.

Staying cooped up in my bedroom is making me feel a little crazy. I haven’t heard from Raffaele since he dropped me off. I’m worried about him, and I miss him. I haven’t been sleeping well, and I’m a mess.

A glance in the full-length mirror across the room reveals heavy eye bags, messy hair, and a puffy face. I sigh, hurriedly looking away. After the conversation with my father, it’s clear more than ever that he’s willing to sink everything for his vengeance, and I’m clinging to a sinking ship.

Something’s bothering me about this whole thing. At first, I thought it was Papa’s guilt over everything that happened the day of the accident that was driving this revenge, but the way he talked about Mama…

Did he really love her as much as he claims he does?

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of my bedroom door flying open. My gaze snaps up to where my cousin stands at the door, panting and looking smug at the same time.

“I came as fast as I could,” she says as she steps in.

I take her in, from the pin-straight brown hair to her olive green dress and heels. She’s the perfect image of a mafia daughter, and for the first time, I find myself wondering if Papa wanted me to be more like her.

I shake the thought away. It hardly matters now anyway. I’m past trying to win his love and affection, or even his regard. I didn’t fail him as a daughter; he’s the one who failed me as a father.

“That was fast,” I comment. “Did you get airlifted or something?”

“Or something.” She winks. “Now, tell me what’s going on, because you look like an absolute mess. When did you last shower?”

I scrub a hand over my face, sighing. “I’m so tired of all this.”

Isa gingerly settles at the edge of the bed. “Uh, explain.”

“No matter how I look at it, I can’t help but think that I wasted my life sticking to this life and trying to mold myself into different things to keep his attention.” Tears sting the back of my eyes. “I should have walked away a long time ago. Who knows what my life would have been like by now?”

“He would never have forgiven you.”

I snort. “Funny thing is, he’s the one that needs my forgiveness, not the other way around.”

She grabs my hand, holding on tight. “You need to face your father and?—”

“Face him?” I laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t want to face him. He’ll say anything he can to try to keep Raffaele and me apart. I can’t listen to any more of that bullshit. I need to contact Raffaele, will you help me?”

“I can try to reach him through Matteo.” She nods. “I know your father will look back one day and regret ever pushing you away just because of this soul-sucking vendetta.”

“Don’t hold your breath, love.”

Hours later, after Isa’s gone, I walk into my father’s study, interrupting his discussion with one of his men. He glances up, mouth pulling down when he sees it’s me. “I’m busy.”

“I can see that,” I say flippantly, then drop into the other free chair in front of his desk. “I’ll wait. Just pretend I’m not here. That should be easy for you. After all, you’ve been doing it for ages.”

“Leave,” he orders in a low voice.

“I’m not?—”

“Not you,” he cuts me off, flicking his stern gaze over to the other occupant of the room.

The man jumps to his feet and rushes out, Papa’s gaze shifting to me and staying there. “Well? What do you want?”

“I heard you talking about moving on with selling the products. Do you think that’s wise right now?

” I ask as calmly as I can. On the inside, though, I’m burning with anger and frustration.

How can he be so careless? Can’t he see how law enforcement has been sniffing around?

He’s just going to end up whistleblowing himself.

“What do you care?” he spits. “It’s not like you care at all whether this family thrives or perishes.”

“Of course I care,” I reply incredulously. “This is my family and I care about?—”

“The only thing you care about is that boy,” he cuts in.

“You’re a traitor to this family, a disappointment.

I gave you everything. What did you lack?

Not money, not vacations, nothing. And still, you stabbed me in the back in this shameful way.

I’ve seen the pity in the men’s eyes; even though they don’t say it, I know exactly what they’re thinking.

How do you expect me to live with this disappointment? ”

I smirk at him. “It sounds to me like you’re getting a taste of your own medicine, and you can’t take it.”

“Excuse me?” He blinks, confusion written all over his face.

“For years, all you’ve done is disappoint me,” I tell him. “Do you really think the money is what I wanted? You think tossing millions at your child and putting her out of your mind is the perfect childhood? You’re such a bastard.”

“How dare you?” he roars. “You’re forgetting yourself.”

“How dare I?” I laugh, rising to my feet and leaning across the table to get up close to him. “You deserve everything that’s happening to you, Papa. You ruined Mama’s life, and now you’re trying to ruin mine. Well, I’m not going to let you.”

“I saved your mother from her psychopathic father.”

I pretend to look thoughtful. “Ah, the déjà vu situation. A girl stuck with her psychopathic father and an outsider trying to save her—why does that sound so familiar? The only difference is that I don’t believe your bullshit about saving Mama.

You know what I think? I think you selfishly took her away from everything she loves because you can’t stand not getting your way. ”

Hatred clouds his expression. “I loved her, and she loved me. Your mother came with me of her own will, because she knew I was her only chance at happiness. She wasn’t happy with Lucio; she didn’t want any part of this life.

She wanted some sense of normalcy in our fucked-up world, and I gave it to her. ”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t need you to believe me.” He sighs, suddenly looking old and worn out. I never realized how much he’d aged until this moment. His once-lush hair now has a noticeable amount of gray in it and is thinning rapidly. Crow lines spread out from the corners of his eyes, and his complexion is wan.

I tamp down the pity threatening to fill my chest.

“We tried to do it the right way,” he continues. “I met Lucio, stood with my head bowed before him, bore his scorn and ridicule, and offered my suit. What did I get? A gun to my head and the news that she was getting engaged to some scum.”

I reel back in shock. “W-what?”

But in the letter, she seemed so sad about being taken away from her life. It sounded like she had been snatched away from everything she was familiar with. I search Papa’s eyes, but I find no hint of deceit. I have a feeling this isn’t the whole story, but I doubt he’ll tell me more.

Maybe someday, I’ll be brave enough to meet up with my grandfather and find out the truth.

“After everything you went through, don’t you think that Raffaele deserves a fair chance, too? I mean, you saying no to me being with him just makes you a goddamn hypocrite,” I point out.

“It’s different! He doesn’t love you,” he argues. “I faced Lucio Sanna, I faced the whole world, while that Gagliardi boy keeps you hidden. Have you no shame in wanting better for yourself? Where is the Montanari pride?”

I stare at him for a long while in silence.

“Or maybe you don’t believe he loves me because you can’t just imagine that someone can love me, when for years all you’ve ever seen me as is a tool for your revenge.

Luca, Alessandro—I wonder who else you had on your list of eligible men?

If I had let you, you’d have passed me around to every single mafioso son for your own gain.

You’ve never cared about my happiness. Tell me, Papa, if she were alive, do you think she’d love the person you’ve become? ”

He freezes, eyes flaring.

“She’d be disgusted, just as I am.”

I shrink back in terror as he jumps to his feet, but he lashes out, gripping me by my jaw, fingers biting into my flesh. “Watch your mouth. You didn’t know her. I did. You want to be with the Gagliardi bastard? Then go be with him.”

He flings me away, and I crash into the chair, gasping in shock. It’s the first time he’s ever so much as manhandled me.

“You think I care? Do what you fucking want,” he says coldly, a vein thrumming at his temple. “His family will never accept you, and over time, he will resent you for alienating him from his world. Don’t come running back to me when shit hits the fan.”

I watch wide-eyed as he storms out of the room, not sparing me a single glance.

I thought I could have one more moment with my father.

One last chance when no bitter words were exchanged, when he might say something—just one thing—to make me rethink what I’m about to do.

But now, it’s clear to me that this was always our life.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t change what doesn’t want to change.

Patterns exist because they’re meant to.

You can try to walk away, hoping they won’t follow, only to find they come back in ways you never expected.

I thought I could have one last time with the father I once knew—the one who was happiest the day our world came crashing down. But I was wrong. And now, I’ve never been clearer on what I have to do.

Goodbye, Father. I will miss us.

The words echo in my mind as the door behind me slams shut, the sound oddly resembling a bomb detonating, ripping apart the last of our family ties.