na's

line, the Matriarch was

ted me, was utterly opposed to my marriage to Julian. But she unders

f surprise in her voice. "You could have at leas

at my flat,

d not

wouldn'

a shrewd strategist,

"the link between you and J

ly what I wan

t dead with

g a large stack of clean to

ed with the wall, her shoulder striking the

from its mount and crash

hite crack ran through the center, s

sly at the seven-y

wrapped protectively around my wai

some face, a memory surfaced,

concrete floor of the family compound, b

punishment, openly defying his own Go

orld," he'd said, spitting out blood. "But without

then. At l

our love could

y surfaced, c

e the Matriarch had

ith a blonde woman,

eve my dark princ

'd dragged me to the undergro

w Julian sitting on a leather

, drawing slowly and arrogantly on a ciga

ld be moved

pulled a half-nake

ing men, he slid his

he laughed. "I love her, b

IP room, my illusion s

, Julian returne

es, he feigned concern

d his h

et of divorce papers the

legal documents, th

dmitted to

ble standard of the mafia

infuriatingly gentle. "It's just business, stress relief. Comi

y batted the pap

weak civilian like me would eventually learn to s

back to th

ling apologies, clumsily sw

told her, my vo

d portrait, just as I had tu

er bedroom in the dead of night,

cate keys on his nightstand. The officially signed

were gone fr

s life, a chilling wave