Mafia Wife (Mafia Series Book #2)

Part 6

Realistically? Probably never.

He wouldn't suddenly become more powerful than one of the oldest families out there. Even with the inheritance. He was known to fly off the handle was unnecessary, but he had to control his rage for the time being. No matter the cost.

"I thought you were gonna lose your shit when she called you boy."

"I wanted to."

For a long time, he thought this life would crush her, break her spirit. Despite the obvious fire within her, she was too good for this. At least he thought so. Especially after the kidnapping and murders that followed. Yet, there she stood. Lying through her teeth, keeping secrets from him.

If he hadn't heard the conversation between her and her mother, he wouldn't suspect a thing. She was acting the same as she always had. When had she become so good at deceptions and lies?

He could be proud, but instead, he was bothered. How could he trust her to carry on the original plan when she decided to keep little secrets? Didn't this simply prove that he had been right to keep information from her? Since she so easily did the same?

Trust was for the fools.

His mother had trusted his father, and it brought her nothing but misery.

If fate hadn't shunned its light on him, he would have suffered the same fate.

"So what's your plan?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's your plan? They clearly wanna butter you up. Maybe you think they're a safer bet than me."

Her arms dropped to her side, the towel hanging low, grazing the ground. "Seriously?"

He offered her a shrug. "Maybe you've got your own plan."

Gabriella's lips parted, her tongue flicking the back of her teeth as she shook her head. "Are you fucking serious right now?" She pinched her lips when the loudness of her voice hit her. "Do you think I woulda married you if I had another plan?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Maybe you changed your mind."

"And maybe you've got some serious trust issues," she snapped back.

He did. But it had nothing to do with this.

"You asked me if I was all in, and I said yes. You," she said, pointing her index finger at him. "You asked me to marry you, to trust you. So I did. God knows why, but I did. It's not like you've given me a lot of reasons to do it. You always expect me to listen but you never tell me anything."

"Then why trust me?"

Gabriella turned her head to the left, rolling her eyes. "Because."

"That's not an answer."

If he were to be completely honest, he wouldn't trust himself either. As a matter of fact, she shouldn't technically trust anyone. Which was in contradiction with his desire to have her trust. He realized that. He could not explain it. The way to survive was to only rely on one's self. Yet, he wanted everything she had to give.

"You're an asshole, okay."

Not the best argument.

She threw her hands up. "You are. You're self-centered. You think you're some kind of all-knowing God and that everyone should do as you say."

"So, you trust me because I'm a God?"

Her eyelids fluttered and he could see her annoyance levels rising as her cheeks became tinted red. "No. Because despite not trusting you and hating your guts most of the time..." She paused, her chest caving in as she let all the air out. "You showed up - when it mattered. I called you on a hunch, you came running. That fucking psycho took me... and you came."