Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Noooo,” she cries. “It’s not me!”
“Then who the fuck is it, Tiana? I’ve heard those same words and moans while I fucked you. I’ve heard you orgasm over a hundred times.” I slam the gun against my thigh and shout, “How could you fucking do this to me?”
Her features tighten with anguish, “I didn’t.” Her body convulses from the sobs racking through her. “I promise.”
“Your promises mean nothing to me,” I say. Shaking my head, I stare at the woman I thought I’d spend my life with. “Who is he?”
“I-I d-d-on’t k-know,” she stutters. She sucks in desperate breaths and calms enough to say, “I’ve been faithful to you. I’ve never been with another man.”
“Do you want me to play the recording again?”
She shakes her head wildly, then begs, “Just think rationally for a moment. Where would I meet this man? Where would I get the time? Venice is small. Someone would’ve seen us together.”
I close my eyes and inhale deeply, then hiss, “None of that matters, Tiana.” I press play again, letting her fucking moans fill the air.
“Stop that!” she cries. She scrambles forward on her hands and knees and grabs the device from me, throwing it to the side.
Anger pours into her eyes as she looks at me. She’s so close I can smell the scent of cupcakes clinging to her.
She baked today.
It used to be my favorite smell.
Her voice trembles as she says, “I did NOT fuck another man.”
I stare at her for a long moment, then shake my head in disbelief. “Cazzo, you’re good. I have to give you credit where it’s due. You really had me fooled.” I let out a bitter chuckle as I gesture at her with the gun. “You’re a fucking good actress.”
She climbs to her feet and moves away from me. Her hands lift to her head, and she grips fistfuls of her hair, screaming, “It wasn’t me!”
Pushing off the floor, I rise to my full height.
Merciless wrath ripples beneath my skin and seeps from my pores like a deadly fog.
Apprehension tightens her features as she stumbles farther away until her back presses against the wall, her eyes flicking between my face and the gun in my hand. Her voice trembles with desperation and fear. “Please. Don’t do this.”
I only want to know one thing. “What’s his name?”
She shakes her head wildly. “I don’t know.”
Slowly, I tilt my head to the side. The expression on my face is one men see before I kill them. “Give me the name of the man you fucked.”
“Armani!” she shouts, her panic and fear morphing into a rage that matches mine. She lifts her chin, a daring light igniting in her eyes. “His name is Armani De Santis.”
I give her a look filled with warning. “Now is not the time to fuck with me, Tiana.”
“It’s the only name I have to give you,” she snaps as she pushes away from the wall. Her body is practically vibrating with fear and anger. “What are you going to do, Armani? Shoot me? Beat me?”
She stops within reaching distance of me, which is a careless move on her part.
Her eyes bore into mine as she, once again, says, “I didn’t fuck anyone but you.” She slaps the flat of her hand against her chest. “I’ve been loyal. I’ve given you everything I have. I love only you.” Her bravery falters, then she whispers with so much heartache, “I love you.”
How can I believe anything she says?
Chapter 35
Tiana
I now understand how people feel when they know they’re about to die.
The man before me is not my husband.
There’s no sign of the Armani I fell in love with.
Even the mafioso is nowhere to be seen.
The man holding the gun is made of rage and pain, violence and revenge, loss and suffering.
There’s no reasoning with him.
I’ll admit, the recording sounds unbelievably real. Hearing another man’s voice with mine in such an intimate setting is traumatizing.
I can’t stop shaking my head as I look at Armani. The pain and agonizing expression of betrayal in his eyes feel like a million cuts to my soul.
My eyebrows pinch together as I say, “I’d never hurt you like that. I’d rather rip out my own heart than do that to you.”
He keeps staring at me, the bond we shared broken, and the love he felt for me gone. In the blink of an eye, he’s gone from the love of my life to a dangerous stranger.
It’s madness.
Terrifying fear, unbearable heartache, and pure desperation fill my chest and coat my skin in a thin layer of sweat.
I can’t believe this is happening.
As my eyes flit over Armani’s face, I watch as all the emotions drain from his eyes.
Mother of God.
No.
His eyes become so dark they’re almost black, and his voice is deceptively soft as he asks, “Did you fuck him on my bed?”