“Can you not bear to call me Papà anymore?” my father asks. I can hear the hurt play with his words, and his exterior is trying hard to hide the emotions.
I don’t let myself take the minor silent guilt trip. “You lost that right when you failed to see how hard I hit rock bottom.” I watch a small glimmer of disappointment flash in his eyes, but it’s quickly gone. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d rather not leave Lorenzo alone with Giovanni around. Who knows what he’ll do to fresh meat,” I say my comment with a derogatory nature, aiming it at Zane as well. “I better go and see if he needs saving.”
I turn to leave, but Zane stops me this time.
“He’s here?” Zane asks, his tone dark.
“Yes,” I remark, turning back. I find I’m unable to stop the snappiness to my response, and I find it even harder to stop words falling from my mouth without me even trying. “He’s here to win me over.”
“Over my fucking dead body is he!” Zane snaps, finally showing some real response. He stands, showing all six-foot-five of his height as he looks at me thunderously. “I am giving everything up for you. You will not turn your back on me.”
“I wasn’t the one who turned their back on anyone. If I remember right, it was you who couldn’t stay with me.” I look at him, making sure that he sees what dangerous territory he’s stepping into because finally I can unleash some of my pent-up emotions. “You just let me go, Zane. You’re the one who couldn’t do it anymore. You all but let me go that night and you devastated me again. The funniest thing is that my father predicted it. All the time I craved having more time with you, cried over almost losing you, he stood there believing it would all end.” I laugh in disbelief at the moment and at the tears ready to betray me all over again. “You don’t get to stand there and tell me who I can and cannot love. Loving you wasn’t enough in the end, but maybe loving someone else is.”
“It was never about if you loved me enough,” Zane starts and his jaw clenches, but as he struggles with himself, he can’t bear to look away from me. “I just couldn’t accept what you did to avenge me, Amelia. You killed for me, to protect me, and that was a lot to take in. But you still persisted to save me even after I had broken your heart,” he continues, and I can see he’s fighting for me. And what’s bad is that I want him to continue. I cannot just give in to him – forgive and forget. “That’s when I knew we weren’t done. Our story didn’t finish that night.”
“Becoming a fuck-up isn’t written in the stars for us,” I counter, shaking my head at how mislead he’s become. “You’re a moron, like I said. Now if I were you, I’d get out and not look back. The Dio Lavoro isn’t made for you.”
“It isn’t made for you either, Bambina,” my father strikes up suddenly, walking around to stand between us. “You’ve made it work. Likewise, Zane will, too.”
“I never had the option. He does,” I say, pointing at Zane. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to leave you two to whatever shit you have to discuss because, from what I’ve seen, it’s all a mockery. I want nothing to do with any of this. I’m out,” I say and go to leave, but my father grabs me in the exact way he used to when he wanted to get through to me – a hand wrap tightly around my tiny wrist, applying pressure. However, I don’t cower or even put up a small fight. I feel rage race through me, heating every part of my body. “Get your fucking hands off me,” I spit spitefully, my jaws clenched tightly. “You don’t get the right to fucking touch me like I’m some object. I’ve proven how valuable I can be, and I know you need me. So, I suggest you get your hands off me, Salvatore, and let me leave.” As my father steps away, I breathe easy and look at Zane, who’s now standing, braced and ready to intervene. “You can be one of us all you like, Maverick, but you stay the hell away from me.”
“Amelia,” Zane calls out to me. “Don’t go. I need you for this.”
“You’ve made a lot of decisions without my input, Zane. Why would you care now?” I ask and place my hands on my hips. “Seriously, you left me twice, and now you’re forcing yourself into my life and I have no say again. So, really, it’s best you discuss your options with him and leave me out of this.”
I leave, trying to retain my anger. I’m fucking livid right now. Zane is the man I let blow in and out of my life twice – each time throwing me up into a storm of emotions, allowing me to trust my heart, only to send me crashing down to Earth with a loud resounding thud.