Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
She finished on the toilet, and then stepped out, only to come to a halt as she stood in front of her father. It had been a long time since she faced him.
Years of waiting for him, broken promises, lies, fake promises, the whole lot of everything. Staring at him now, Adele knew she hated him with a passion that should surprise her, only it didn’t.
“Adele,” he said.
“This is the ladies’ room.” She folded her arms across her chest, hating that it had come to this. Many years ago, Adele had vowed never to see him or talk to him again, and yet here he was, right in front of her after all of these years. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know you had a panic attack, Adele. I needed to see you to make sure you’re okay.”
She had brushed past him and was now washing her hands. “You need to see if I’m okay? Seriously, you were never there for all the other panic attacks in the past, why would it matter now?”
“You must understand the reasons. I did it to protect you.”
“No. You did it to protect yourself.” She turned toward him and her hands were still wet, and she held them in front of her. “That’s all you ever do. You should have left Mom alone, but instead you chased her. You lied to her.”
“I know. I loved her and I couldn’t be without her.”
“You’re selfish. Like now. It’s all about you and what you want.”
“I wanted to take care of you.”
“I was fine,” Adele said. “I didn’t want to be part of this, part of any of this, but now I’m engaged to a man who has threatened people I care about. In order to get your way, you’ve made my life miserable.”
“I’ll talk to Enzo and I’ll deal with all of this. We can talk. I can help. I just want to know that you’re going to be okay.”
“No, you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to talk to Enzo. You don’t get to try to fix this. You asked Enzo to lie to me. Mom had already prepared me for your tricks, so it was never going to work on me.” She squared her shoulders. “But that’s okay, because I’m going to marry Enzo, and we will probably have a couple of kids, but my story will remain the same. I don’t have a father. He abandoned my mother, lied, cheated, and it was so easy for him to stop coming. I’ll be by Enzo’s side. You will never be part of my life, nor will you be part of any of my children’s lives.”
She took another step toward him.
“And you better tell your wife that if she tries anything with me, if she thinks I will bow down, step aside, or take it, then she’s going to meet with a real problem. I’m not my mother, and I’ve got a whole lot of hate for you and for her.”
****
The Wedding Day
Enzo saw Hank in the aisle.
The past two weeks had been a whirlwind of activity. Adele was no longer placid. She refused to allow him to organize their wedding. She made demands, chose her wedding dress, and even the flowers, which all had to be roses—the darkest of red as they were her mother’s favorite. The wedding cake had to be lemon, with lemon frosting, and she wouldn’t allow him to make any changes.
Enzo couldn’t believe the change in her. He watched as Adele took charge. He’d changed her life, and he wasn’t bluffing with her. If she had fought him, he’d have gone after those she cared about, because he didn’t have a caring bone in his body. He took what he wanted, and to pay for this debt, he was willing to do whatever was necessary.
The church was full of fellow capos, associates, and their wives and families. Hank was front and center with his wife and family. Soldiers were outside of the church, as well as inside, prepared for any potential attack.
Enzo never thought he’d enjoy his wedding day, but as the hours ticked by, knowing at the end of the day Adele would belong to him, he found it rather exciting.
He stood, waiting.
Adele didn’t keep him waiting long. Much to his surprise, she asked for Bishop to walk her down the aisle. He knew the bar owner didn’t like him, as he was concerned about Adele marrying him, but there was no stopping him.
Enzo had taken Bishop to one side and warned him if he tried to interfere with Adele, then he’d close the bar and completely remove his business altogether. He would make his life a living hell. Bishop hadn’t put up a fight, and now Enzo would finally get what he wanted.
The music changed and Enzo turned to watch as his woman stood at the end of the aisle. Within their circle, the gossip had spread about who she was and what it meant. Enzo was not forthcoming as he didn’t feel he needed to be. His decisions were his own.