My Husband is a Mafia Boss

CHAPTER FOUR

Giovanni turned to me, his expression softening slightly. "Do you want to go for a ride?" he asked, his voice low and surprisingly gentle.

I nodded, barely registering the question. Everything felt like a haze, my mind too preoccupied with the revelation of the evening. We walked to his car in silence, the tension from dinner still hanging between us like a thick fog. I slipped into the passenger seat, the leather cool against my skin, and watched as Giovanni started the engine without a word.

The drive was quiet, the only sounds were the hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of leaves as we passed by. I stared out the window, the city lights blurring into a kaleidoscope of colors. Giovanni didn’t say anything, and I was grateful for the silence. My thoughts were too loud, my emotions too raw.

We stopped at an open convenience store, Giovanni getting out to grab some drinks. I stayed in the car, staring blankly ahead. When he returned with a case of canned beer, he handed me one without a word, and we continued our drive.

Eventually, we reached a small park on a hilltop overlooking the entire city. Giovanni parked the car, and we both got out. The view was breathtaking, the city sprawling out beneath us, a sea of lights and life. For a moment, the beauty of it all made me forget the mayhem that was our dinner.

“Where are we?” I asked, my voice breaking the silence that had stretched between us for so long.

Giovanni glanced at me, then back at the city. “This is where I come when I’m mad at the world,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “It reminds me that we’re all just small pieces in a much larger game. It’s scary, but it calms me down.”

We walked over to a large tree at the edge of the park and sat down at one of its bigger roots, the case of beer between us. I cracked open a can, the cool liquid a stark contrast to the heat of my frustration. Giovanni did the same, and for a while, we just stared at the bustling city below, each lost in our own thoughts.

“If you took me here hoping to make me tell you all about my life so you could potentially use it against me in the future, you’re in tough luck,” I said finally, breaking the silence.

Giovanni chuckled, the sound unexpected and surprisingly genuine. “Believe me, even if you put a gun to my head, I’m not gonna willingly subject myself to the torture of hearing your sob story.”

I shot him a look, half-amused, half-irritated. “If I put a gun to your head, what makes you think you’re gonna live long enough to even hear my sob story? Idiot.”

He laughed a real laugh this time and shook his head. “Touché.”

For a moment, the absurdity of our situation struck me. Here we were, two people forced into a future neither of us wanted, sitting on a hilltop drinking beer and trading insults. It was almost comical in its ridiculousness.

“Do you really think we’re just pawns?” I asked, my voice softer now.

Giovanni took a sip of his beer, staring out at the city. “Sometimes, yeah. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to change the game.”

I mulled over his words. We were both trapped, but maybe together we could find a way out. Or at least make our own rules.

We sat in silence again, the city lights twinkling below us. For the first time that night, I felt a flicker of hope. It was small, but it was there. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

...

I woke up with a jolt, my head pounding like a drum. Disoriented, I sat up quickly, taking in my surroundings. I didn’t recognize the room. Panic surged through me as I tried to piece together what had happened. The last thing I remembered was the family dinner, the angry outburst, the silent drive... and Giovanni kissing me.

Wait. Why do I remember Giovanni kissing me?

My mind scrambled to make sense of it all. Just as I began to remember more, a groan beside me made me freeze. I turned slowly, my heart racing. Giovanni was lying next to me, half-naked and covered only by thick white sheets.

I opened my mouth to scream but managed to stop myself just in time. The last thing I needed was to wake him up. I glanced down at myself. I was still wearing the same clothes as last night. Relief washed over me. Nothing had happened.

Carefully, I slid out of bed, trying not to make a sound. I gathered my things off the floor, my hands shaking. This was Giovanni's condo. The prick. He must have given me too much to drink to get me here. The thought made me shudder.

I swear this counts as kidnapping.

I tiptoed out of the room, each step I took made my heart pound crazily inside my chest. As soon as I was out of his apartment, I broke into a run, heading for the closest elevator I could find. I jabbed at the button repeatedly, got in, and jabbed at the buttons again, urging the doors to close faster. Come on, come on.

Just as the doors began to slide shut, I saw Giovanni in the hallway, still half-naked, his eyes fixed on me. “You’re running away again?” he called out, his voice surprisingly calm.

The doors closed, cutting off my view of him, and I let out a shaky breath. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion and anger. I had to get out of here. I had to get home.

As the elevator descended, I tried to piece together what had happened. Giovanni kissing me was the last clear memory I had, but everything after that was a blur. How had we ended up in his condo? Why had I stayed?

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out into the lobby, my legs trembling. I hailed a cab and gave the driver my address, sinking into the back seat with a sigh of relief. The city streets blurred past as I tried to make sense of the night.

I replayed everything in my mind. Giovanni kissing me. The anger I had felt. The beers we drank at the park. Had I blacked out? The thought made me sick. Giovanni must have brought me back to his place, but why?

I thought back to the kiss. It had been unexpected, and I had been too shocked to react. But then... I remembered kissing him back. The memory was hazy, but it was there. What did that mean?

By the time the cab pulled up in front of my house, my head was spinning with questions. I paid the driver and hurried inside, grateful to be home.

Once inside my room, I collapsed onto my bed, burying my face in my hands. I needed to figure this out. I needed answers. But first, I needed to calm down.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. I would confront Giovanni later. For now, I needed to sort through my feelings and make sense of what had happened. One thing was certain: my life had just gotten a lot more complicated.