The Mafia's Mute Bride (Sing for Me, Mia Bambina)

Anything

CHAPTER THREE

Anything ~

SUNSHINE

Everything moves on so quickly.

One moment, I am standing at the altar, bound to a man I barely know, and the next, I am no longer a Volkov daughter standing in Russia, I am a De Luca wife being escorted toward a future that feels too unreal.

Marriage, in my world, is not about love.

It is about power. It is about alliances and survival. And I understand all of that far too well.

Of course, I would meet the same fate. Life had never been fair to me, not at all.

The air outside is colder than I expect, as I am guided toward the waiting car.

I step into the car without looking back, there is nothing behind me worth looking at.

Soleil is gone.

The life I knew ended the moment she did.

Everything after that has been something else entirely.

My fingers tighten slightly around the small notepad resting in my lap, as I feel a sense of unease.

Across from me, Lorenzo sits with an ease that I wish I had. The man had just married a total stranger, I expected something more....

He catches me, watching him and I lower my gaze, in submission.

When we got to the airport, I realised just how powerful my husband is.

We're in Russia but everyone seems to know him, he has two private jets ready for takeoff. One for him and one for his men who came with him.

The plane begins to move, and Russia begins to fade behind me.

I sit across from Lorenzo again on the plane.

I mean, there are plenty of seats in this jet so why sit in the same space?

"How do you feel?" Lorenzo breaks the silence first, his gaze on me.

The marriage was a sore topic for me, but the first time I laid my eyes on my husband as I walked down the aisle, I couldn't help but wonder how a man as powerful, handsome and perfect as him would honour this deal, knowing he was ending up with a woman who couldn't even say her own name.

"Sunshine?"

I picked up my notepad and scribbled it down quickly.

"I'm fine." I wrote and he nodded.

"Would you love a drink? Whiskey? Wine?" He asks.

I've never taken anything except Red grape wine and I'm not even sure if that is wine.

"I'm fine with tea." I write it down again.

"Tea?" He c***s a brow and then smiles.

"Bring my wife a glass of red wine, Courtney." He said and the hostess nodded and left, not after giving him a wink.

Why would she do that? Are they close? Do they.....sleep with each other?

Would he still sleep with her now that we're married? Would he love to sleep with me?

"Don't worry, you'll love this wine. It tastes lovely and sweet just like you." He says, his eyes falling to my lips and I blush, looking down at my notepad as I recall the intensity of our kiss at the church.

Did he like it?

"Here it is, Mr De Luca." She dropped the wine in front of me but her gaze remained on him.

"And why this glass? Couldn't you use another glass?" Lorenzo questions Courtney, the hostess, with his eyes on the glass of wine.

"Oh, she doesn't seem like she drinks at all, so I thought this glass would be the perfect fit—"

"Get her the normal glass and make sure you're not in my plane the minute this lands." His voice is cold as he glares at her.

For a minute, both Courtney and I are stunned into silence until she nods and mumbles a 'yes sir', grabs the glass and heads out again.

"I think she meant well." I write hesitantly..

"No, she didn't mean well. She winked at me, used a fluttery voice because she wanted you to know we've f****d and besides, that glass was a disrespect. And a disrespect to you, is a disrespect to me. So, she didn't mean well, wifey." He answers back and this time I'm not only stunned to silence because of the coldness of his voice but the honesty too.

So they did sleep with each other...

It shouldn't bother me. I mean, it shouldn't even get into my skin but why do I suddenly feel uncomfortable?.

I glare at the notepad, the thought to write something suddenly urgent.

"That was months ago. Does that bother you, wifey?"

My cheeks redden. I know that cause I can feel how hot they are.

Wifey? My name is Sunshine and why will I get bothered about some woman he slept with months ago? Why would I even get bothered that he sleeps with women?

All the Mafia men I know do that. He's not different, and truthfully, I never expected anything good from a man who killed an eleven-year-old to become the Boss.

And thankfully, my husband said nothing until we landed.

Italy is beautiful. I've always wanted to visit Italy and especially Venice, after reading a book by Shakespeare; ' The Merchant of Venice.'

We were escorted to an SUV.

The drive to wherever we were headed didn't take long and the car came to a stop eventually, and I lifted my gaze just enough to see the estate in front of us.

The gates open and we enter.

And just like that, I am no longer in Russia.

I am a De Luca and I am in a territory that has always wanted my family dead, and my husband is the leader of this territory. That should make me feel safe, but I feel more in danger than before.

We walked through the yard.

The mansion is like a castle, not what I thought the Leader of the Italian Mafia would have for a house.

It's an ancient building but renovated to look more modern, and it still has the ancient nobility. It screamed class, wealth and everything in between.

We walked down the hallway and Lorenzo opened the door, and I stepped inside.

And the first thing I see— are two naked women, sprawled across the couch, fast asleep.

I'm so confused for a second, and then I understand.

Of course.

This is the kind of ma

rriage I was brought into.

My husband walks in and growls.

"What the f**k is happening here?"

TBC