Page 89 of Vengeful Vows

With a smile, I sip from the small cup that she slides toward me.

Nothing has ever stopped her from offering an opinion. And I’m grateful. Although I know my uncle counts on my advice, Gina is the boss’s biggest confidante.

“Is she suffering from headaches, Nico?” She pauses. “Or a broken heart?”

A broken heart?

The words roll around in my mind.Impossible.

“Relationships can be difficult. Sometimes we have to consider what somebody else needs over our own selfish wants and desires.”

With a scowl, I meet her gaze. “Are you calling me selfish?”

She’s too kind and diplomatic to confirm that. Instead she says, “You’re not happy.”

That statement, I don’t respond to.

“I don’t know the reasons for that, nor will I pry.”

Without Bella in my bed, I am no longer sleeping well.

Even more infuriating is the fact that having distance from me seems to be good for her. She appears to be rested and focused.

Before the conversation can continue, my uncle joins us.

Barely acknowledging me, he slides an arm around his wife’s waist and kisses her forehead affectionately. With a smile, she touches his cheek.

My relationship with Bella should be like that.

I shove aside the nagging voice that tells me it used to be, when I first met her.

“Can I take my bride to lunch today?” Uncle Raffaele offers.

“Oh?” she asks.

He names a restaurant that I know she loves.

“I’m sure you need a new dress for New Year’s Eve.”

“I was hoping you would go shopping with me.”

“If I don’t, you’ll end up with something that fits you like a potato sack.”

She laughs. “I am no longer twenty-one, Raffaele. I don’t like curve-hugging dresses.”

“In my eyes, you are the same girl I met thirty-five years ago. Maybe even better.”

Adoration is in her gaze as she lifts onto her toes and kisses him on the cheek.

Such a stark reminder of what I do not have.

“Get ready to go,” he tells her before inviting me into his office.

Today we don’t have much to discuss.

“Dario has sent year-end projections to Matteo. He’ll review them and forward them to you.”

I’ve never seen reports from all the family business dealings.