Coveting the Mafia King's Princess - Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Thomas clung to the iron bars, his designer suit wrinkled, his perfect hair a mess. Gone was the polished businessman who’d lorded over me for five years. In his place stood a broken man. I studied Thomas through the iron bars, savoring how the tables had turned.
“Cheryl, please.” His fingers wrapped around the bars. “I was wrong. So,wrong. I’ve left Jessica. I ended everything with her.”
The same words he’d used a hundred times before. But this time, they didn’t pierce my heart. They didn’t make me wonder what I’d done wrong.
“I love you.” His voice cracked. “I always have. I was just… confused. Marry me. again. We can start fresh.”
A laugh bubbled up from my chest, surprising even me. “Love me? You never loved me, Thomas. You loved what I represented – the perfect, obedient wife. who’d do anything to make you happy.”
“That’s not true-”
“You made me take contraceptive pills in front of your entire family.” My voice stayed steady, calm. “You slept with Jessica in our bed. Our bed, Thomas.”
He pressed his forehead against the bars. “I’ll make it up to you. I swear. Jessica meant nothing-”
“The way I meant nothing?” I stepped closer, close enough to smell his expensive cologne. “How many times did you leave our bed to call her? To apologize to your ‘one true love‘ for being with me?”
His face crumpled. “Please, Cheryl. I’ll do anything.”
“You already did everything.” I turned away from him, my silk robe swishing against my legs. “You showed me exactly who you are.”
“Don’t leave me like this!” His voice rose,
desperate. “I need you!”
No, he needed what I now owned. Half his family’s empire. The respect he’d lost. The power that had shifted from his hands to mine. I felt Vincent’s presence before I saw him. His footsteps crunched on the gravel, deliberate and unhurried.
Thomas’s face drained of color. He stumbled back from the gate, nearly tripping over his own feet. I turned and walked straight into Vincent’s waiting arms. His hand settled on my waist, warm and steady through the thin silk of my robe.
“You want to know something, Thomas?” I kept my voice light, almost conversational. “This Sunday, I’m getting married. To Vincent.”
Thomas’s jaw dropped. “You can’t- you wouldn’t-”
“I would.” I leaned back against Vincent’s chest, feeling his heartbeat strong and steady. “And I am.”
“But he’s- he’s-” Thomas’s eyes darted between us, terror creeping into his expression as realization hit. “So you’re Vincent Moretti.”
“The one and only.” Vincent’s voice carried that edge of danger that made even the bravest men think twice. “Now, get off my property before I have Marco escort you out.”
Marco walks up to them and stay a few steps behind. Thomas stumbled backward, his polished shoes scraping against the gravel. His face twisted into an ugly snarl, so different from the controlled mask he’d worn during our marriage.
“You’ll regret this.” His voice shook with rage. “Both of you. I still have connections. People who owe me favors.”
Vincent’s chest rumbled against my back as he laughed. The sound sent Thomas back another step.
“You mean those same connections who abandoned you that day?” I kept my voice sweet. “The ones who watched you lose half your empire without lifting a finger to help?”
Thomas’s hands clenched into fists. “This isn’t over. You think you’re so clever, hiding behind a mobster? I’ll show you what real power looks like.”
“Is that a threat?” Vincent’s tone dropped to that dangerous whisper that made even Marco nervous.
Thomas’s face went chalk–white. He spun around and ran, his expensive suit jacket flapping behind him like a flag of surrender. His footsteps echoed down the street until they faded into nothing.
Vincent’s arms tightened around me. “You okay?”