Mafia Legacy

Prologue- Charlotte

I glanced down at the table, wondering how many germs were on that thing. The last thing I wanted to do was sit on it, but I didn't have much of a choice. "Sure."

I followed him over there, and he sat on the opposite bench. He reached out for my hand, squeezing it tightly. That was the only physical contact we were allowed while I was here for visits.

Luca looked down at my hand for a second and frowned, running his thumb over my bare left finger. "You're not wearing your wedding ring." He said plainly.

My mouth fell open in a shock. Was he really going to do this right now? I hadn't seen him since he'd been dragged out of our house in handcuffs and he was really going to start with that? "That's what you're concerned about, Luca?" I sneered, unable to mask my irritation. "You're sitting in a jail cell on trial for murder and my jewelry is what concerns you?"

"Fuck, Char." Luca ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, picking up on my feelings and realizing that he had fucked up again. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I keeping fucking things up and I don't know how to stop. I don't know how to stop hurting you. I'm not concerned about your jewelry, I'm concerned about you. And the kids. And how we're going to make this work."

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself again. This was my life for the last few weeks. I'd have these emotional outbursts where what I was truly feeling came out and then id have to put a brave face back on for those around me. "The kids are fine. Leo has a football game tonight and Cole has his debate retreat. Lucy is going to go with me to the game, I think."

"Good." Luca nodded. "This is a big game for them, isn't it? If they win, they'll make the final four?"

I nodded. "Coach Hackett is starting him at quarterback."

Luca's eyes widened with pride. "Really? He must be so excited. He's been working so damn hard for that. And in such a big game!"

"He has." I pressed my lips together. "It would be nice if his father could be there to see it."

Luca's face hardened, and he squeezed my hand again. "I'm going to make this right. You know that, don't you? I'm going to get out of here, and I am going to make this up to you and the kids and everyone I've hurt."

I rubbed my forehead, wishing with all my heart I could believe what he was telling me. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me." I let out a heavy sigh.

"Anything, baby." I hated the look in his eyes. He was so desperate for my reassurance, but I was so mad right now I just couldn't find it in me to give that to him.

"Did you do it?"

Luca recoiled back like I had slapped him across the face. "How can you even ask me that, Charlotte? You know me."

"I thought I did." I took my hand back and folded my arms across my chest.

"Don't do that, Charlotte. You have every right to be upset with me for lying to you and for the way this has turned out, but don't act like that. That's not fair, and you know it." He said pointedly.

Fair? He had the audacity to talk to me about what was fair? "No, Luca, what's not fair is that our children had to watch you get dragged out of our house in handcuffs. That you hid this from me for the last twelve years of our marriage. That your daughter, who is supposed to be enjoying her junior year at NYU called me last night to ask her if I wanted her to postpone her semester and come home so she could help out with her brothers and sister. That I'm on my own figuring out how to raise four teenagers and run your God damn business while you're sitting in here. And that I just sat out in that disgusting waiting room for two hours with all kinds of creepy people."

"Did someone do something to you?" Luca clenched his jaw in rage.

"You don't get tot talk right now Luca. You don't get to tell what's fair and what's not fair when you've done this to us." Angry tears stung my eyes. "So yeah, I'm asking you for the truth. Did you kill that woman?"

Luca took a deep breath in, defeat and devastation blanketing his face. I knew my words had been harsh, but he was still failing to see the gravity of all of this. He thought he was going to skip out on these charges when the DA had a mountain of evidence against him. We were all suffering, and he wasn't taking any of this seriously and it only made me more angry.

"No, Charlotte." He finally said. "I swear to God, I swear on our marriage. On our children. I swear on everything that has ever meant anything to me that I had nothing to do with it. I know you're hurting and I knew I have fucked up beyond repair this time, but all I'm asking is that you don't give on me. Don't walk away from me. And from us. And from our marriage. Say you'll fight with me. Please, baby. Say you'll fight this with me."

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Welcome to Book 5 :)