With her last breath, she made Catherine promise that I would one day marry him.
Catherine froze when she heard that request. She knew her son’s heart belonged elsewhere. But as my mother’s raised hand trembled and weakened, Catherine clenched her jaw and gave her word.
Through tears, she swore that she would see me wed to Vincent.
My mother died believing she had secured my future.
At her funeral, people whispered that fate had been cruel but generous at the same time. I had lost my only family, yet I had gained entry into the most powerful crime family in the city. They spoke of wealth, protection, status.
None of them understood that I would have traded all of it just to have my mother back.
My father had died when I was young. My mother and I survived by clinging to each other. She never knew that she was my entire world.
On my wedding day, Catherine held my hands and wept openly. “Your mother can rest peacefully now,” she told me between sobs.
I nodded, though my face felt numb and drained of life.
Vincent played the perfect gentleman in front of the assembled capos and allies. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to believe I had found someone who would eventually grow to love me.