Page 40 of The Empress

For a few seconds, his features soften as he stares at me, but then they harden again.

His voice sounds like thunder that’s about to unleash a destructive storm on my life as he orders in English, “You can proceed, Father.”

The priest has a thick Italian accent when he says, “Leonardo Toscano, do you take Haven Romano as your wife?”

Leo doesn’t hesitate for a second to reply, “I do.”

“Haven Romano, do you take Leonardo Toscano as your husband?”

Mom.

I swallow hard on the lump in my throat, and my voice is almost gone as I whisper, “I do.”

Leo pulls a small box out of his pocket, and opening it, he removes a vintage ring. It looks hundreds of years old.

When he takes hold of my left hand and pushes the ring onto my finger, hopelessness sinks into my bones.

There are no vows of love and loyalty as the priest declares, “I pronounce you husband and wife. Sign the register.”

With Leo still gripping my hand, he leads me to a table where a register lies. He signs on the line before holding the pen out to me.

I pull my hand free from his and take the pen, but I hesitate for a moment when I realize Leo doesn’t know what my signature looks like.

As if he can read my thoughts, he grumbles, “Don’t even think about faking it, Haven.”

My chin quivers, and more tears escape as I scribble my signature on the line beside his.

Leo pulls me away from the table, then he watches as Uncle Nicolo and Massimo sign as witnesses.

I glance to my left, and my gaze connects with a woman who seems to be in her sixties. She climbs to her feet, where she’s sitting in the front pew, and walks toward us.

Once she comes to a standstill in front of us, she says, “I wish you all the best for your future.”

“Thanks, Mamma,” Leo replies.

This is his mother?

My lips part with shock as he leans down to kiss both her cheeks.

She must be as corrupted as her son.

Keeping quiet, I lower my eyes to the floor, and a second later, the realization that I’m married to Leo Toscano, the head of the Italian mafia and a complete stranger, slams hard into my gut.

My legs feel numb as darkness creeps in around the edges of my vision, and when I sway, Leo quickly wraps his arm around my lower back and pulls me tightly against his side.

With his other hand, he takes hold of my jaw and tips my head backward. “Are you going to pass out?”

The shock begins to lessen, and I pull my face away from his hand, looking down again as I whisper, “No. Can I go to my mother?”

“Yes.” He removes his arm from around me. “Massimo, go with Haven.”

I don’t wait for Massimo and hurry away from Leo, but when I reach the locked door, I have to wait for it to be opened before I’m able to go inside.

Mom stands in the middle of the room, her face torn with anguish, and when she sees the ring on my finger, she begins to shake her head.

“I’m sorry,” I say, then my emotions spiral out of control, and I break down.

Mom quickly closes the distance between us and wraps me up in a tight hug. For long minutes, we just hold each other before Mom pulls slightly back so she can see my face.