by Penelope Sky
“Siena—”
“It’s not just what I want. It’s what I need.” I wiped my tears away. “I don’t want to say this. It kills me inside. But if you want me to marry you…you have to do this.”
His breathing picked up, and his eyes clouded with a thin film of moisture. They turned glossy in the light from the candles.
“You know I love you. You know I want to say yes. I would never ask you to give up anything…but you have to give this up. I won’t change my mind. So, please…do this for me.”
He rubbed his hand across his mouth and sighed.
“Cato.”
Now he wouldn’t look at me.
“Cato.”
“You’re asking me to walk away from…everything I’ve built.”
“I know.”
“You’re asking me to give up who I am.”
“You’re more than that. You are more than what you do.”
“You need to meet me halfway here, Siena. How can you ask this of me when my business paid for all this shit?” He extended his hands as he looked around. “Those expensive sheets you sleep on every night. The bathroom that’s as big as a house. The gourmet meals you eat every night—”
“I. Don’t. Care. About. That.” I hit my fist against the table with every word. “We could move back into my old place, and I would be just fine. I’ve never wanted you for the luxuries you provide. If I had it my way, I would want you to donate all your money, and we would just live off what we needed.”
With a clenched jaw, he looked at me like that had just made him angry.
“I’m sorry…”
His nostrils flared as he sighed.
“Are you really going to pick your business over us?” I asked incredulously. “You really want to lose me because of money?”
“It’s not about the money. I’ve told you that.”
“Whatever. Is it really more important than us?”
“It’s not more important. I just don’t see why I can’t have both—”
“Because we both could have died! It will happen again, Cato. Maybe it won’t happen for a few years, but it will happen. Are you so arrogant to assume you’re that untouchable? Those men hit your car and kidnapped you without a fuss.”
He breathed through his anger.
“I want to cave…I do. But this really bothers me, Cato. Give up the business and be with us…or keep the business and we go our separate ways.” I couldn’t believe those words flew out of my mouth. I couldn’t believe I even suggested us breaking up.
“You’re gonna take my daughter away?” he asked incredulously.
“No. Never. But…we’ll live somewhere else.”
He shook his head. “This is a fucking nightmare. I planned all of this so you could be my fucking wife, and you drop this on me?” He rose to his feet, furious. “You couldn’t have mentioned this yesterday? Or the day before?”
“I meant to, but—”
“Shut up.”
Now I rose to my feet, my ferocity matching his. “You never trusted me because you thought I wanted your money. I’ve proved to you it means nothing to me. You’re the one who’s obsessed with your money, who loves it more than me. You’re really going to walk away from the best thing that ever happened to you over money.” I gripped my skull. “Do you realize how pathetic that makes you?”
“It’s not about money,” he hissed. “That company gives me purpose. It makes me feel like a man. It turned me into a fucking man. That job got my mom out of the cannery and gave me enough money to rent my first apartment. That company is full of my blood, sweat, and tears. It’s not about money.”
Tears ran down my cheeks. “You’re still choosing it over us.”
“Only because you’re making me.”
When I heard his final decision, I started to sob. “You said you loved me more than anything.”
“And I do.” He slammed his hand into his chest. “I would die for you.”
“You would die, but you won’t walk away from your company?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No,” I snapped. “I don’t know what you mean.” I tried to wipe my tears away, but it was no use. They just kept coming. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. You said you would always protect me, but you’re continuing to put us in harm’s way. Why don’t you see that?”
“I would never let anything happen to you—”
“Goodbye, Cato.” I walked past him and headed down the stairs and to the pathway. This conversation kept going in circles, and it would never stop. I asked him for the one thing that mattered, and he refused to give it to me.
He would rather lose me over his company.
Lose his family over his company.
I couldn’t reason with greed. I couldn’t reason with money. I couldn’t reason with wealth.
I could only reason with love.
But he couldn’t.
It was too late in the evening to flee the estate, so I went into the bedroom and gathered all the things I would need tomorrow. I stuffed all my clothes and accessories inside plastic bags then carried them into my old bedroom down the hall. I left his bedroom exactly as I found it—with no trace of me.
I went into Martina’s bedroom with the intention of taking her with me, but when I saw how angelic she looked, I chose to stand there and stare at her. The most beautiful thing I’d ever made was right in front of me—and she was half Cato. I made sure I didn’t cry as I stood there so I wouldn’t disturb her, but the emotion was wreaking havoc in my chest.
This was really over.
I could have kept my mouth shut and not cornered Cato, but I wouldn’t have been happy. I would always be scared, waiting for the next blow to strike us. Anytime my children were at school or staying at a friend’s house, I would be a mess until they returned. My life would be centered around worrying, worrying about the moment when someone would try to kill all of us.
If it were just me, maybe it was a risk I could take.
But not with Martina.
I couldn’t let anything bad ever happen to her.
What kind of mother would I be?
I watched her for a few moments before I left the room and went to my old bedroom, to the place where I used to live when I meant nothing to Cato. It was more luxurious than a five-star hotel, but I would prefer to sleep with Cato in a sleeping bag than be in here alone.
I got into bed without taking off my dress and cried.
Because the man I loved didn’t love me enough.
I’d risked my body and my dignity when I gave myself to Damien. That outcome could have been completely different. I might have been his prisoner a long time, and I would have been raped and tortured until someone saved me. I risked that for Cato—but he couldn’t do this for me.
When dawn arrived, I carried everything downstairs to the driveway. It was still cool after the long night, and I was exhausted from not sleeping at all. I’d just lain there, crying on and off throughout the night.
“Miss Siena, what are you doing?” Giovanni asked me in the entryway. He glanced at my hand, expecting to see the diamond ring Cato offered me.
“Martina and I are leaving. I need someone to drive us to my old place.”
“Of course…” His hands came together, and he slightly fidgeted in place. “I…I’m so sorry.”
“I am too. But it didn’t work out.” I moved past him.
Giovanni stepped in front of me again. “I don’t mean to overstep my boundary, but I assure you that Mr. Marino loves you with all his heart. Instead of fleeing, perhaps you should talk to him.”
“We’ve done enough talking, Giovanni. I told him I wouldn’t feel safe until he stepped away from his line of work…and he refused. After everything that’s happened, I can’t put our daughter through that. So…my answer was no.”
He gave a slight nod, his eyes filled with sadness. “He’ll come around.”
“I don’t think he will.” I stepped around him once
more. “Cato is a stubborn man, but this isn’t stubbornness.” I moved up the stairs again and returned to my room. I gathered my final things before I dropped them off on the doorstep. Then I retrieved Martina along with her bag of essentials.
Cato’s door was still closed.
I was sure his men had informed him I was preparing to leave, but he didn’t try to argue with me. He didn’t see me off. He kept the door shut, giving me a cold goodbye. He didn’t even come out to kiss Martina.
I stared at the door for another minute before I walked away, choking back tears at his coldness. We’d been so deeply in love days ago, and now that love had disappeared. It was like it never happened in the first place.
I walked outside and found the car waiting for me.
Distraught, Giovanni stood there with redness in his eyes. “I’m sorry to see you go, Miss Siena. I didn’t expect this, not after everything we’ve been through.”
“Me too.” I hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. “Goodbye, my friend.”
“He’ll come around, Miss Siena. That man loves you too much not to.”
“I hope you’re right.” I got into the car and put Martina in the car seat. Then the car slowly started to pull away, circling the roundabout and the fountain. The gravel crunched under the tires as we left the property. I looked up at the three-story estate and wondered if Cato was watching me leave his life forever. Or if he was still in his bedroom, shutting me out because I’d hurt him so much.
Whatever hurt he thought he felt, I felt it a million times more.
He said loyalty was the most important thing to him. But when it came down to it, he wasn’t loyal to me. I’d sacrificed myself to save him, but he wouldn’t make sacrifices for me. At the end of the day, he made the same mistakes as my father. His arrogance blinded him to the truth, made him think he was invincible. My mother died because of my father’s stupidity. But I wouldn’t be let anything happen to me because of Cato’s stupidity. Cato didn’t learn from other people’s mistakes.
But I sure did.
The air was stuffy and stale, but it was exactly the way I remembered it. I would have to get a new battery in my car because it was definitely dead by now. There were dishes still in the sink, and a pile of folded laundry sat on the couch.
It’d been so long that I couldn’t remember the last time I was here.
“This is our new home, Martina.” I held her in my arms as we stepped inside the living room, her body resting on my shoulder.
Instantly, she started to cry.
She knew this wasn’t her home.
She knew her father wasn’t here.
She knew everything was different.
Someone knocked on the door, which made Martina cry harder.
I opened the door and came face-to-face with one of Cato’s security men. “Yes?”
“Mr. Marino asked us to bring some things and set them up.” In his hands, he had a box with a picture of a crib on it. The other men behind him all carried something, toys, diapers, and everything else I needed to take care of Martina long term.
“Oh…thank you. Set it up in the empty bedroom.”
Setting up baby stuff probably wasn’t in their job description, but they didn’t complain as they went upstairs and got to work.
Martina wouldn’t stop crying.
Martina was constantly fussy.
She cried more than she ever had before. I checked her diaper, tried to feed her, and rocked her back and forth. Nothing worked. I abandoned the crib and had her sleep with me, but she didn’t like that either.
I knew exactly why she was crying.
Because she missed her father.
I missed him too.
Anytime I looked outside, I saw army men around the perimeter of my property. Cato must have asked them to guard me, to make sure no one bothered the two of us. It was strange to look outside in the middle of the day and see the black cars everywhere, but I knew there was no other option.
After four days of silence, Cato called me.
I stared at the screen for a long time, my heart falling into my stomach. This moment was inevitable so I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still felt my nerves fire off in fear. Martina was still crying, so I put her in her crib and went downstairs—that way I could actually hear what he had to say. I answered. “Hi…” I missed the sound of his voice. I missed his strong body in my bed. I missed the quiet noises he made when he slept.
He was just as pissed off as the night I rejected his proposal. “I want to see my daughter. I’m not asking for permission.”
I felt stupid for thinking he would be sweet and apologetic. I hoped he would say he missed me so much that he would give me whatever I wanted. But instead, he was as livid as before. “You never have to ask for permission, Cato.”
He paused before he answered. “I’m outside.”
“I’ll open the door.” I hung up and opened the door.
He was in his suit, like he just got off work. In navy blue with a gray tie, he looked exactly as sexy as I remembered. Tall, muscular, and beautiful, he was absolutely gorgeous. There was a slight hint of affection in his eyes when he looked at me, but it was quickly masked by his rage. Martina cried from upstairs, so he let himself inside and went to retrieve her.
I shut the front door then listened to Martina stop crying.
Instantly.
I walked upstairs and watched them together.
Cato held her in his arms as he looked down into her face, his eyes lighting up with love. “Hey, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead as he gently rocked her from side to side. “Missed you.”
I leaned against the doorframe. “She’s been crying nonstop since we left. And now I know why…she misses you.”
He lifted his gaze to look at me, his affection slowly disappearing. “I want her half the week. You get her the other half.”
I couldn’t believe we were having this painful conversation, like a divorced couple arguing over custody. “What about when you’re at work all day?”
“I’ll get a nanny.”
I didn’t want a stranger watching my child. “I’m home during the day. How about I watch her during the day, and then you pick her up on your way home. Then we can trade weekends.” Was I stupid for thinking Cato would come to his senses and change his mind? Maybe I underestimated how much he loved his company. Maybe I never had a chance of being more important. I’d handed myself over to a psychopath, but that didn’t seem to count for anything.
“You’ll need to go back to work eventually.”
“I’ll work nights until she starts school.”
Cato’s eyes flashed with hostility, as if he didn’t like that.
“You know what’s ironic?” I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing my words would piss him off. “You care so much about loyalty…wanted to kill me because I wasn’t loyal to you. But when it mattered most, you weren’t loyal to me.”
He stopped bouncing her from left to right.
“Damien came to my house and threatened to rape me and torture me if I didn’t cooperate. That happened because my father didn’t get out of the business when he should have, even when my mother was kidnapped, raped, and tortured. They came after his daughter next…me. I did my best to save him, but he was dead long before I proved myself. Even when I distanced myself from my family, I was still a target by association. Then I handed myself over to Damien to save your life…the last thing I wanted to do. But despite all that history, you still don’t see what I’m saying. I was attacked for being my father’s daughter. You really think Martina won’t be attacked for being your daughter someday?”
Cato held my stare, his look neither angry or apologetic. It was impossible to tell if my words resonated with him because he showed no reaction. After minutes of silence, he grabbed her favorite blanket and wrapped it around her before he took her upstairs.
I didn’t know what was about to happen.
Cato suddenly walked past me, down the stairs,
and out of the house.
The second he shut the door behind him, Martina started to cry.
21
Cato
My life turned into a dull routine.
I worked out, went to work, and then came home. I moped around the house, drowning my sorrow in booze, and then I passed out and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, I did it all over again.
I missed seeing Martina every day when I came home from work. Even though I got work out in the morning again, I missed waking up early to take care of her before heading off for the day. It was the only part of the day when it was just the two of us.
I missed Siena too.
But I was too pissed at her to admit that to myself.
Her ring sat in my nightstand drawer even though I was seriously tempted to throw it away. When I’d originally bought her ring, I almost got one with an enormous rock in the center, along with more diamonds in the band. But then I realized that didn’t match Siena’s personality at all. She didn’t want to be covered in jewels.
So I went with something simpler.
Like her.
I knew she loved it, even if she never told me.
But then she dropped that ridiculous request on me, like it was something I could honor. She said she loved me for me, and that was supposed to include all the elements of my life, including my job.
I understood her request. I would be stupid to say it wasn’t a legitimate concern. But I was pissed she had that kind of power over me, that she could say no to me and make her own demands. I told her that was my biggest fear, having someone rule me so easily.
It left a bad taste in my mouth.
Maybe I was just being stubborn or arrogant, but I refused to change my mind.
No matter how much I loved her.
Bates sat across from me as he flipped through the pages. “Then we include a bunch of bullshit about the terms and blah, blah…” He flipped more pages. “They sign here and here, and then we’re millions of dollars richer. Piece of cake.” He clapped his hands together. “Ooh…cake sounds pretty good.”
